T3FCT 


MANUAL  TRAINING  —  PLAY  PROBLEMS 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO   •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •   SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LIMITED 

LONDON   •   BOMBAY  •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  LTD. 

TORONTO 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


CONSTRUCTIVE  WORK  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  BASED 
ON  THE  PLAY  INTEREST 


BY 

WILLIAM  S.  MARTEN 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INDUSTRIAL  ARTS.  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL 
SAN  JOSE.  CALIFORNIA 

AUTHOR  OF  "INEXPENSIVE  BASKETRY" 


WITH  WORKING  DRAWINGS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  SEVERAL  HUNDRED 
VARIOUS  PROBLEMS 


Ncfo  fforfe 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
1917 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1917, 
BY  WILLIAM   S.  MARTEN. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  February,  1917. 


NortoooU 

J.  8.  Gushing  Co.  — Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


DEDICATED 
TO  THE 

BOYS  AND  GIRLS  OF  AMERICA 

THAT  THEY  MAY  GROW  IN  THE  ABILITY  TO  MAKE 

OUR  AMERICA  THE  LEADER  OF  THE  NATIONS 

IN  CONSTRUCTIVE  THINGS  THAT  ARE 

MOST  WORTH  WHILE 


2065958 


The  Clermonl 
(Courtesy  of  Miss  Grace  G.  Parsons,  Vocational  School,  Albany,  N.  Y.) 


"The  value  of  constructive  play  as  a  factor  in  development 

is  an  unworked  educational  mine." 

—  EDGAR  JAMES  SWIFT. 


FOREWORD 

WHEN  teaching  manual  training  in  the  upper  grammar  grades,  I 
announced  that  a  special  class  would  be  formed  the  next  afternoon  for 
all  boys  interested  in  special  work.     Two  dozen  applicants  Personal  Ex 
met  the  next  afternoon  after  school.     It  was  agreed  that  perience  with 
we  should  call  ourselves  the  "Experimental  Mechanics,"  tiv^-May*"10" 
that  the  hours  should  be  3 : 30  to  5 : 00  each  afternoon  interest  of 
after  school  and  10 : 00  to  12 : 00  each  morning  on  Satur-  incentive  for 
days  and  holidays,  and  that  punctuality  would  be  re-  Organizing 
quired  for  each  boy  to  hold  membership  in  the  class. 

The  morning  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  Clinton  Toms,  a  son  bf  the 


Work  of  High  Sixth  Grade.     Crocker  Intermediate  School,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

(Kindness  of  Mr.  H.  M.  BcrnharJ) 

ix 


x  FOREWORD 

superintendent  of  several  of  the  large  factories  of  the  city,  came  in 
fifteen  minutes  late. 

"Why,  Clinton!  What  does  this  mean!"  I  said.  "Oversleep 
yourself  this  morning?" 

"No,  sir.  I  was  up  before  five  o'clock.  Papa  said  I  must  level 
up  the  front  yard  this  morning,  so  I  got  up  two  hours  before  break- 
fast and  worked  until  daylight  with  a  lantern  fastened  to  the  wheel- 
barrow so  that  I  could  come  over  and  work  on  my  glider,"  was  his 
reply. 

On  another  morning  two  boys,  whose  parents  did  not  permit  them 
to  join  the  "Experimental  Mechanics,"  came  to  school  quite  late. 
Upon  inquiry,  I  found  that  the  boys  had  gotten  up  before  daylight 
in  order  to  try  out  in  the  near-by  hills  a  large  glider  which  they  had 
constructed  in  a  neighbor's  barn.  The  glider  came  to  grief,  and  the 
parents  reprimanded  the  boys  when  they  heard  about  it ;  but  this  did 
not  deter  the  boys  from  later  building  a  large-size  aeroplane.  Every- 
thing was  ready  for  flying  the  aeroplane,  except  putting  in  the  motor, 
when  the  parents  became  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  boys  actually 
intended  to  fly  it ;  and  it  too  was  destroyed,  but  in  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent manner  from  the  glider. 

These  instances  of  the  interest  in  "constructive-play"  activities 
manifested  by  the  children,  which  continue  so  forcibly  to  come  to  my 
attention,  have  been  the  spur  which  has  prompted  me  to  organize 
such  problems  in  available  form  so  that  the  boys  and  girls  can  con- 
struct them  at  school  or  at  home. 

All  the  detailed  problems  herewith  presented  cover  several  years 
of  personal  work  with  children  in  the  settlements  and  the  vacation 
schools  of  New  York  City  and  Pittsburgh,  and  in  the  regular  public 
schools  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States.  These  problems  are 
practical  for  school  work  because  we  have  tried  them  out  on  the  play- 
ground and  in  the  school  workshop.  In  thus  being  tested,  faults  of 
construction  have  been  found  and  corrected,  and  improvements  in 
design  have  been  made.  I  have  found  that  working  from  the  draw- 
ings of  a  problem  that  has  not  been  tested  by  experience  is  often- 
times a  costly  experiment.  Many  of  the  problems  suggested  in  the 


FOREWORD 


XI 


boys'  magazines  have  simply  been  worked  out  of  an  adult  mind ;  and, 
when  these  directions  for  construction  are  followed  by  the  boy,  the 
object  has  oftentimes  failed  to  work.  Unless  the  boy  is  especially 
talented  or  has  some  one  to  help  him  over  the  obstacles,  the  difficulty 
has  been  so  dismaying  that  it  has  put  a  damper  on  his  future  self- 
effort.  By  having  the  drawings  and  photograph  accompany  definite 
suggestions  for  the  construction  of  each  problem,  I  have  found  that 
it  is  possible  to  have  the  children  at  school  or  at  home  intelligently 
construct  objects  that  are  a  source  of  satisfaction  and  pleasure  to 
themselves. 

I  wish  to  express  my  sincere  thanks  to  the  many  friends  who  have 
so  kindly  helped  me  with  their  suggestions  and  criticisms,  and  espe- 
cially do  I  thank  the  boys  and  the  girls  who  have  so  generously  and 
willingly  made  the  various  problems  that  are  shown  in  the  photo- 
graphic illustrations. 

WILLIAM  S.  MARTEN. 

State  Normal  School,  San  Jose,  Cal. 
October  21,  1916. 


Boats  made  by  a  Sixth  Grade  Class.     Horace  Mann  School,  San  Jose,  Cal. 
{Courtesy  of  Mr.  Louis  C.  Butler) 


Roller  Coasting 


Bowgun  Shooting 


Seventh-grade  Class  on  Stilts,  Durham,  North  Carolina 


CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Teachers'  Point  of  View xv 

Suggestions  about  Construction  and  Use  of  Tools       . xix 

Tops ;  spool,  color,  butterfly,  plug,  disc,  etc 2 

Cigar  box  furniture  and  other  problems ;  table,  davenport,  cradle,  wash- 
stand,  etc 4 

Butterfly  and  whirligig  or  flying  top 6 

Ring  toss  games ;  with  string  and  stick,  and  ring  and  hook 8 

Buzzer  and  primitive  string  drill 10 

Garden  sticks,  sign,  trellises,  and  labels 12 

Kaleidoscopes 14 

Bean  bag  games 16 

Rustic  furniture ;  porch  chair,  divan,  tables,  and  benches 18 

Eccentric  running  wheels 20 

Pistol  and  sling  shot 22 

Running  wheels 24 

Traps ;  figure  4,  barrel  and  box 26 

Boats ;  toy  rowboats  and  power  paddle-wheel  boats 28 

Insect  bottles  and  nets ;  butterfly,  minnow,  and  polliwog 30 

Windmills  and  vanes ;  single,  double,  Happy  Jack,  Mother  Hubbard,  etc.    .  34 
String  and  whistling  instruments ;  zither,  banjo,  fife,  whistle,  and  humming 

bird 38 

Swings ;  porch  and  playground 42 

Map  and  post  card  picture  puzzles     . 44 

Print  frames 46 

Jacks ;  scissors  and  dancing  and  clothespin 48 

Jacks ;  climbing  and  jumping 50 

Jacks ;  gymnastic  and  pole 52 

Lever    movements;    clothespin     blacksmith    boys,    chicks    with     worm, 

wrestlers,  etc •     •    \ 54 

Knives  and  daggers 56 

Tip  cats  or  peggies 58 

Peggy  bats 60 

Fencing  rods  or  swords 62 

xiii 


xiv  CONTENTS 

Page 

Roque  and  croquet  game  boards 64 

Solitaire  boards 66 

Marble  games,  rakes  or  bridge  board 68 

Stilts 70 

Shinney  and  hockey  sticks,  pucks  and  shin  guards      ........  72 

Bow  guns 74 

Swiss  dinkey  birds  with  pendulum ;  head  and  tail  movements 78 

Swaying  figures ;  animals  and  honest  woodsman,  or  sawyer  with  pendulum  80 

Falling  teeter  or  seesaw,  and  ladder 82 

Looms  for  weaving 84 

Root  cages  or  vivaria 86 

Bird  houses 88 

Box  traps '90 

Ring  toss  games  and  quoits 92 

Rattlers  and  clickers       96 

Aeroplanes  and  gliders 100 

Animals  with  movable  parts 102 

Spreader,  press,  and  mounting  case  for  nature-study  work 104 

Roller  coaster • 106 

Tables 108 

Morris  chairs  and  cushions 110 

Beds 112 

Garden  tools ;  rake,  spade,  hoe,  and  shovel 114 

Seesaw  and  sand  box 116 

Dolls  — jointed 118 

Running  grasshoppers  with  moving  parts     . 120 

Sailboats 122 

Wheelbarrow  and  wagon 124 

Roller  coasters,  autos,  and  wagons 126 

Vaulting  pole,  vaulting  or  jumping  standard,  and  hurdle 128 

Checkers,  chess,  and  bagatelle  boards 130 

Roller  looms  for  continuous  weaving 132 

Aquarium,  vivarium,  or  breeding  cage 134 

Dolls  — jointed 138 

Davenport  and  chair .  1 40 

House  plan  arrangement 142 


THE  TEACHERS'   POINT  OF  VIEW 

It  is  true  that  the  present  existing  conditions  of  school  work  are 
far  from  what  they  should  be.  Smaller  classes,  more  time  and  ma- 
terial for  constructive  work,  and  better  equipment  are 
important  conditions  necessary  to  secure  good  results  in  viewpoint* 
school  work,  but  more  important  than  these  are  the  intel-  Concerning 
ligent  selection  of  equipment  and  obtaining  of  supplies  as  Equfpment! 
well  as  proper  class  management.  The  wise  class  teacher 
knows  that  too  much  individual  instruction  is  as  bad,  if  not  worse, 
than  the  formality  necessitated  by  large  classes,  that  the  boys  and 
girls  should  to  some  extent  be  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  and 
left  to  think  out  for  themselves  the  solution  of  their  own  problems. 
The  wise  teacher  also  considers  equipment  in  its  application  to  con- 
ditions. The  writer  has  seen  most  successful  vacation  school  work  in 
poor  districts  carried  on  with  a  very  meager  equipment,  when  only  such 
tools  and  materials  as  entered  into  the  home  life  of  the  children  were 
available.  In  other  poor  localities  of  the  same  city  where  the  best  of 
equipment  was  secured,  the  result  was  a  failure  because  the  tools  and 
materials  furnished  did  not  carry  over  into  the  home  life  of  the  chil- 
dren. The  result  of  this  well-intentioned  but  unwise  effort  made 
the  boys  dissatisfied  with  home  conditions  because  the  tools  and 
materials  provided  were  outside  of  the  reach  of  the  boy  in  his  own 
home  life.  The  best  benches  and  tools  were  installed,  and  wood  was 
secured  from  the  mill  in  perfect  condition  for  assembling,  rather  than 
using  improvised  benches  and  making  use  of  packing  boxes,  cigar 
boxes,  old  clock  works,  cereal  boxes,  barrel  hoops,  and  scraps  thrown 
out  by  industrial  plants. 

XV 


XVI 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW 


In  many  places  the  writer  has  made  arrangements  with  the  factories 
to  obtain  at  slight  cost  materials  that  were  used  for  the  shop  work  prob- 
Economy  of  lems.  For  instance,  for  the  summer  school  work  of  the 
Materials.  Playground  Association  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  we  obtained 
from  one  of  the  box  factories  enough  strips  of  wood,  simply  at  the 
expense  of  the  hauling,  to  supply  all  of  the  vacation  schools  with 
material  to  make  many  problems  requiring  thin  strips,  such  as  toys, 
gliders,  and  kites.  From  another  woodworking  mill  we  obtained 
loads  of  the  select  pieces  of  scrap  wood  and  supplied  this  to  each  of 
the  schools.  This  wood  sold  for  firewood  was  used  to  make  the 
smaller  problems.  Children  were  encouraged  to  bring  in  and  make  a 
collection  of  odds  and  ends  that  served  a  purpose  in  this  kind  of 
work.  A  list  of  usable  things  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
children  so  that  they  knew  what  to  collect.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
things  from  which  an  intelligent  selection  will  be  found  useful  for  this 
work: 


aluminum 

carbons 

feathers 

plaster-of-Paris 

axles 

cardboard 

flowers 

potatoes 

bark 

cardboard  boxes 

fruit  baskets 

prunes 

barrel  staves 

cattails 

glass 

raffia 

berry  boxes 

cement 

grasses 

rags 

bicycle  parts 

clay 

hogsheads 

raisins 

bicycle  spoke 

clock  works 

leather 

reeds 

bolts 

cloth 

leaves 

rivets 

boxes 

.  clothespins 

newspapers 

sand 

box  edgings 

copper 

nuts 

screws 

brass 

cord 

old  envelopes 

seeds 

broomsticks 

corncobs 

packing  boxes 

sheet  iron 

buttons 

corset  steels 

paper 

shells 

button  molds 

cotton 

passe-partout 

shoe  boxes 

candles 

cotton  spools 

peanuts 

skewers 

candy  boxes 

drug  boxes 

peas 

soap 

canes 

egg  shells 

pebbles 

splints 

canvas 

envelopes 

pins 

spools 

THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  xvii 

steel  thin  wood  twigs  wheels 

straws  tin  vegetables  wire 

string  tin  cans  Venetian  iron  yarns 

strip  iron  tin  foil  walnuts  zinc 

tarboard  tooth  picks  wood 

Excellent  training  and  economic  advantages  are  gained  in  making 
use  of  the  odds  and  ends  and  raw  materials  at  hand.  Storage  closets, 
corner  shelves,  or  boxes  should  be  provided  in  which  to  keep  the 
assortment  of  various  things  thus  collected.  By  no  means  allow  this 
storage  closet  to  become  simply  a  pile  of  junk.  Remember  that  sys- 
tem and  order  is  necessary  in  caring  for  all  supplies.  Even  greater 
care  is  necessary  in  handling  this  kind  of  material. 

The  following  suggestions  will  give  some  idea  of  possible  economy 
in  the  use  of  materials:  (1)  box  edging,  from  box  factory,  for  kites, 
gliders,  and  thin  wood  toys  requiring  strips ;  (2)  select  scraps  of  wood 
from  the  woodworking  mills  for  various  small  problems;  (3)  hogs- 
heads and  barrel  hoops  and  staves,  and  reeds  and  cattails,  for  bows 
and  arrows ;  (4)  tin  waste  from  factories,  and  tin  cans  for  parts  of 
toys,  etc. ;  (5)  orange  crates  for  kites  and  all  thin  wood  problems ; 
(6)  packing  boxes  for  house  furnishing  rooms ;  (7)  springs,  wheels, 
and  old  clock  works  for  toys  and  elementary  science  apparatus; 

(8)  cereal  boxes,  candy  boxes,  etc.,  for  house  furnishing  problems ; 

(9)  cigar  boxes  for  thin  wood  projects  requiring  boxes;    (10)  drug 
packing  boxes  for  ring  toss,  games,  etc. 

To  construct  the  object  it  is  necessary  to  understand  the  drawing. 
In  order  that  the  boy  or  the  girl  may  understand  the   ^se  of  the 
drawing  more  easily,  the  photograph  and  the  accompanying   Drawings, 
suggestions  are  offered  as  a  help.     To  clearly  understand    and  Printed 
the  drawing  and  printed  directions,  it  is  important  that    Directions, 
the  materials  and  tools  be  taken  in  hand.     As  the  work  progresses 
under  these  conditions  the  directions  will  become  clear  to  the  worker. 
Some  advantages  of  these  drawings  lie  in  the  freedom  that  is  pos- 
sible in  planning  the  problems  (the  dimensions  given  are  intended 
as  suggestions  only) ;  the  possibility  of  individual  expression  in  form, 


xviii  THE  POINT  OF  VIEW 

outline,  and  decoration ;  and  the  possibilities  for  individual  creative- 
ness  and  inventiveness  in  the  mechanical  arrangement  of  parts 
and  movements. 

There  are  many  opportunities  for  the  play  of  individuality  even  in 
the  large  classes  if  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  is  taken  for  the  prepa- 
Planningthe  ration  of  the  lesson  and  for  its  execution.  Almost  any 
Lesson.  problem  can  be  used  as  a  type,  and  with  it  various  modifi- 

cations of  proportion  and  outline  are  possible.  With  paper  and 
scissors  in  the  hands  of  the  pupils,  individual  outlines  can  be  developed, 
and  these  can  be  used  as  templates  or  patterns.  In  thus  working  out 
the  outlines  it  is  important  that  plenty  of  time  be  allowed  for  class 
discussions  of  good  and  bad  proportions  of  the  patterns  cut.  A  careful 
leading  up  to  the  final  results  is  bound  to  produce  satisfactory  results. 
In  cases  where  time  for  this  development  is  not  possible,  patterns 
worked  out  by  capable  pupils  or  by  the  teacher  must  be  provided. 


SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT  CONSTRUCTION  AND  TOOLS 

On  account  of  the  hard  usage  the  objects  made  are  bound  to  re- 
ceive, it  is  important  that  they  be  strongly  constructed. 

For  this  reason  it  is  often  best  to  use  bolts  for  fastening  parts 
together  instead  of  nails  as  is  usually  done.  It  is  well  to  have  small 

dies  on  hand  for  cutting  threads  on  wire  that  can  be  made 

11         T        •         f  i-        MI  i     c        ii  Use  of  Bolts- 

into  bolts.  1  wo  sizes  or  dies  will  be  round  to  be  very  con- 
venient; one,  such  as  is  used  for  cutting  threads  on  bicycle  spokes, 
and  another  one,  ^n,  will  be  very  convenient.  Nuts  to  fit  these  sizes 
can  be  purchased  at  the  bicycle  shop  or  hardware  store.  Dies  are 
not  expensive,  and  an  assortment  of  small  sizes  is  most  desirable  to 
have  on  hand.  If  these  are  not  available,  an  assortment  of  small- 
sized  bolts  should  be  kept  on  hand.  For  cutting  the  wire  and  bolts 
a  hack  saw  is  convenient,  but  it  is  not  a  necessity  as  the  wire  or  rod 
can  easily  be  broken  off  by  notching  on  each  side  with  a  file  and  then 
bending  back  and  forth  a  few  times. 

When  nails  are  used  to  fasten  pieces  together,  two  nails  should 
be  put  in  at  each  joint  so  as  to  secure  or  brace  the  joint  thoroughly. 
One  nail  at  a  joint  only  serves  as  a  pivot.  To  secure  a 

r          11  -11111         i-      i      i        ^se  °*  Nails. 

very  strong  piece  or  work,  the  nails  should  be  clinched. 
Common  wire  nails,  because  they  have  large  heads,  are  better  to  use 
than  brads.  To  clinch  nails,  use  ones  long  enough  for  the  points  to 
go  through  and  project  slightly.  The  nails  can  be  clinched  if  the  wood 
is  placed  on  a  flat  metal  surface  and  the  nails  hammered  down  firmly. 
The  points  will  be  forced  over  by  the  metal  surface.  If  the  metal 
surface  is  not  available,  place  the  work  on  a  block  of  soft  wood  or 
locate  the  nail  directly  over  a  hole  and  drive  the  nail  in  place ;  then 
turn  the  work  over  and  with  the  nail  head  resting  on  a  solid  surface, 
turn  over  the  point  and  hammer  it  down  firmly.  When  nails  are 
used  and  cannot  be  clinched,  they  hold  more  effectively  if  driven  in 
at  various  angles.  To  prevent  slender  brads  from  bending,  pinch  them 


xx  MANUAL  TRAINING  —  PLAY  PROBLEMS 

tightly  while  driving  them  in.  Never  attempt  to  use  brads  that  have 
once  been  bent.  Never  drive  nails  in  small  pieces  or  in  thin  pieces 
without  first  starting  the  nails  by  means  of  a  hole  bored  slightly  smaller 
than  the  nail.  If  the  piece  is  to  pivot  freely,  the  hole  should  be  slightly 
larger  than  the  nail.  These  holes  are  usually  made  with  brad-awls  or 
drills. 

In  fastening  with  screws,  to  obtain  efficient  results,  a  hole  should 

always  be  bored  through  the  upper  piece  to  receive  the  screw.     This 

hole  should  always  be  large  enough  for  the  screw  to  slip 

Use  of  Screws. 

in  without  forcing.  Any  binding  on  the  shank  of  the  screw 
lessens  the  force  of  its  pull.  The  size  of  these  holes  for  No.  6,  No.  10, 
and  No.  14  screws  should  be  f  ",  ^-",  and  J",  respectively.  If  soft 
wood  is  used,  it  is  not  necessary  to  bore  a  hole  into  the  piece  in  which 
the  point  of  the  screw  fastens  ;  but  if  hardwood  is  used,  it  is  necessary 
to  bore  a  hole  slightly  smaller  than  the  thread  of  the  screw.  The 
screw  should  not  have  to  be  forced  in  hard,  else  the  head  of  the  screw 
is  liable  to  be  broken  off.  A  little  wax  or  soap  will  enable  screws  and 
brads  to  go  in  much  easier.  When  dowels  or  round  rods  are  needed, 
they  can  readily  be  made  by  planing  a  stick  to  nearly  the  required  size 
in  diameter  and  then  driving  it  through  a  hole  bored  in  a  block  of  iron 
or  hard  wood. 

Because  the  brad-awls  and  drills  break  so  easily,  they  are  very 
expensive.     It  is  unnecessary  to  use  either,  since  a  very  effective 
can  ^e  ma<^e  from  a  na^  or  brad.     Select  one  the  de- 


Making  of 

Drills  and         sired  size  of  the  hole,  cut  off  the  head,  and  grind  or  file  one 

end  of  it  wedge-shaped,  that  is,  flattened  on  two  opposite 
sides.  If  better  drills  are  desired,  use  a  hat  pin,  needle,  or  other  steel 
wire.  Save  these  improvised  drills  and  a  various  assortment  will  soon  be 
on  hand  ready  for  use.  They  can  best  be  used  in  the  ordinary  hand 
drill,  but  if  this  is  not  available  they  can  be  used  in  a  brad-awl 
holder  or  fastened  into  a  piece  of  hard  wood  and  used  as  a  brad-awl. 
When  button  molds  are  too  small  to  be  used  as  wheels,  a  washer 
cutter  should  be  used  to  make  the  wheels.  This  cutter  can  be  set  so 
that  wheels  any  desired  size  of  diameter  can  be  cut  out  of  wood  J"  or 
less  in  thickness. 


SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT  CONSTRUCTION  AND  TOOLS          xxi 

For  use  with  many  materials,  shellac  serves  as  an  excellent  cement. 
It  can  be  used  successfully  with  nonporous  substances,  as  metal  and 
glass,  where  glue  will  not  stick.  Where  a  thin  coat  of  Cementing 
shellac  is  evenly  applied  as  a  varnish,  it  dries  very  quickly.  Materials. 
To  use  shellac  as  a  cement,  apply  two  or  three  thin  coats ;  then  when 
partially  dry,  that  is,  when  it  is  very  sticky  to  the  touch,  place  the 
surfaces  together  and  keep  them  in  position  for  several  hours.  For 
fastening  thin  materials  to  surfaces,  such  as  lining  the  inside  of  a  box 
with  silk,  first  apply  two  or  three  thin  coats  of  shellac  to  the  inside  of 
the  box :  then  when  the  shellac  is  almost  dry,  that  is,  when  it  is  sticky 
to  the  touch  but  will  not  adhere  to  the  fingers,  press  the  silk  firmly  in 
place.  The  ordinary  fish  glue  which  requires  to  be  heated  every  time 
it  is  used  is  satisfactory  for  use  with  wood.  Liquid  glue  such  as  Le 
Page's  is  satisfactory  and  is  much  more  convenient.  Powdered  dex- 
trine mixed  with  water  to  the  consistency  of  library  paste  is  most  satis- 
factory for  use  with  leather.  Library  paste  is  most  satisfactory  for 
use  with  paper  and  cloth.  Flour  paste  can  be  quickly  made  by  add- 
ing boiling  water  to  flour  until  the  proper  consistency  is  obtained. 
If  this  paste  is  desired  to  be  kept  some  time,  it  should  be  boiled  for  a 
little  while,  and  powdered  alum  added.  A  few  drops  of  essence  of 
cloves  will  improve  it. 

When  possible,  have  both  hands  free  to  hold  and  guide  the  tools. 
Never  hold  the  work  in  the  hand  if  it  can  be  held  some  other  way, 
because,  with  both  hands  free  to  work,  better  technique  is      Holding  of 
possible  and  less  time  is  required.     The  vise,  bench  stop,      Work- 
hand  screw,  and  other  such  contrivances  should  be   made  use  of. 
Common  sense  and  a  due  amount  of  care  must  be  exercised  in  the 
use  of  these  things,  else  the  work  may  be  spoiled. 

In  designing  the  construction  of  parts,  monotony  of  proportions 
and  spacing  of  parts  should  be  avoided.     A  rectangular  room  is  more 
pleasing  than  a  square  room,  because  of  the  variety  in      constructive 
width  and  length.     The  rail  or  brace  in  a  chair  or  table     Design  of 
should  never  be  placed  so  as  to  divide  the  spaces  evenly ; 
for  instance,  if  it  is  necessary  to  fasten  a  rail  or  brace  to  the  legs  of  a 
table  or  chair,  it  should  never  be  put  half  way  between  the  floor  and 


xxii  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 

the  top  of  the  table  or  the  seat,  but  usually  below  the  middle  so  that 
the  space  above  will  be  wider  than  the  space  below  the  brace.  Also, 
the  width  of  the  space  should  always  be  either  less  or  more  than  the 
width  of  the  brace.  This  same  thought  must  apply  to  all  lines  and 
especially  to  the  horizontal  lines  in  the  making  of  all  pieces  of  furni- 
ture. When  a  finished  surface  is  desired  and  nails  must  be  used,  the 
brads  or  thin  finishing  nails  which  have  small  heads  should  be  used. 

All  of  the  pieces  of  furniture  should  be  made  strong  enough  to 
stand  the  hard  usage  they  are  bound  to  receive.  In  the  design  of 
furniture  construction  all  ends  which  touch  the  floor  should  have  the 
corners  rounded  or  chamfered  to  prevent  splitting  the  edges.  All 
corners  should  have  the  sharpness  worn  off  by  the  use  of  sandpaper. 
All  parts  should  be  well  sandpapered  and  in  some  cases  stained  before 
assembling.  If  the  wood  is  to  be  shellacked  or  stained,  care  must  be 
taken  that  all  roughness  and  marks  are  sandpapered  out.  The  furni- 
ture of  each  room  should  harmonize  in  design  and  finish.  It  is  well 
to  stain  all  the  pieces  at  one  time,  or  at  least  use  the  same  stain  for  all 
the  pieces  of  a  room. 

Pieces  should  be  sandpapered  before  assembling,  and  it  is  some- 
times best  to  color  them  before  assembling.  Sandpapering  should  be 
done  with  a  block  and  always  with  the  grain,  else  it  will  show  scratches. 
When  finishing,  stains  and  dyes  are  more  satisfactory 

Finishing.  .  i    i         11        i  •  •  i 

to  apply  and  handle  than  paint,  since  the  stains  can 
be  applied,  rubbed  over,  and  waxed  without  waiting  for  anything  to 
dry,  while  the  oil  paint  takes  two  or  three  days  to  dry  thoroughly. 
Oil  stains  of  any  color  can  be  readily  made  by  thinning  the  oil  paint 
with  turpentine  or  by  mixing  the  dry  paint  pigment  in  turpentine. 
Any  shade  of  brown  stain  can  be  made  by  thinning  black  asphaltum 
varnish  with  turpentine.  If  a  dull  black  is  desired,  use  dead  black 
"Japalac."  The  oil  stain  cannot  be  made  intense  in  color  as  it  does 
not  penetrate  the  wood  deeply.  The  dyes  and  water  stains  overcome 
this  objection.  They,  however,  raise  the  grain  of  wood  and  thus 
make  the  surface  rough.  This  requires  it  to  be  sandpapered.  A  thin 
coat  of  white  shellac  over  the  stained  surface  will  prevent  the  color 
of  the  stain  from  drying  out.  Water  colors  and  inks  are  desirable 


SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT  CONSTRUCTION  AND  TOOLS        xxiii 

where  small  surfaces  are  to  be  covered,  such  as  when  used  for  facial 
expressions.  Good  bright  colors  should  be  used  freely,  as  they  add 
much  interest  to  the  use  of  the  things  made.  If  paints  must  be  used, 
the  enamel  paints  are  most  easily  handled  because  they  dry  quickly. 
If  the  natural  color  of  the  wood  is  desired,  white  shellac  is  most  con- 
venient to  use  because  it  dries  very  quickly,  provided  the  shellac  is  ap- 
plied in  thin  coats.  The  ordinary  varnish  requires  several  days  to 
dry  thoroughly.  An  outside  varnish  should  be  used  if  the  object  is 
to  be  exposed  to  dampness  or  to  the  weather.  For  this  purpose,  spar 
or  copal  varnish  is  best. 

Since  there  are  so  many  books  already  published  on  the  technique 
of  woodwork,  no  regular  discussion  in  processes  and  the  use  of  tools 
is  here  intended.     For  the  upper  grammar  grade,  a  forge,    Machine 
wood  lathe,  small  machine  lathe,  and  bench  drill  will    Tools- 
prove  to  be  a  great  advantage  in  giving  the  boys  an  acquaintance  with 
a  number  of  tool  processes  that  are  very  desirable,  besides  making 
possible  a  greater  range  of  problems. 

At  home,  every  boy  should  have  his  own  bench.  It  can  be  fitted 
up  with  an  iron  vise  screw  costing  about  50  cents.  With 
a  few  boards,  any  ingenious  boy  can  fit  a  bench  up  for  Home  Bench- 
himself.  In  working,  care  should  be  taken  that  the  top  surface  of  the 
bench  is  not  sawed  into  or  cut.  To  prevent  this,  a  cutting  board  and 
a  bench  hook  should  always  be  at  hand. 

Every  boy  should  have  a  few  tools  at  home;  such  as  a  knife, 
ruler,  gauge,  saw,  try-square,  chisel,  plane,  and  hammer.  Measure- 
ments should  always  be  laid  off  with  the  ruler  held  upon  care  in  the 
its  edge.  In  laying  off  dimensions  and  in  drawing  lines,  Use  of  Tools- 
accuracy  is  highly  important.  A  word  of  caution  regarding  the  use 
of  the  plane  is,  keeP  the  cutter  set  so  as  to  cut  a  thin  shaving  when  true- 
ing  up  surfaces.  On  each  piece  of  wood,  secure  a  perfect  working 
edge  and  end ;  and  in  laying  out,  always  measure  from  them  or  from 
a  center  line.  In  surfacing  the  end  grain  of  wood,  plane  from  the 
edge,  but  never  to  the  very  edge,  else  it  will  split.  To  avoid  splitting 
when  using  the  auger  bit,  always  set  the  work  to  be  bored  upon  a  flat 
surface  of  soft  wood,  or  as  soon  as  the  point  of  the  spur  projects,  turn 
and  bore  from  the  opposite  side. 


XXIV 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


The  use  of  the  coping  saw  is  a  great  advantage  with  thin  wood. 
In  laying  out  the  work  to  be  sawed,  be  careful  to  avoid  short-grain 
construction.  Where  possible,  always  have  the  grain  of  projecting 
parts  run  lengthwise  so  that  they  will  not  easily  break  off.  In 
putting  a  blade  in  the  coping  saw  frame,  set  the  teeth  so  that  they 
point  toward  the  handle.  The  cutting  is  done  on  the  downward 
stroke.  The  sawing  is  best  done  on  a  V-shaped  block  fastened  in  the 
vise  or  to  the  top  of  a  bench  or  table.  The  work  should  rest  flat  on 
this  block.  The  saw  should  have  free  play  up  and  down  about  two 
strokes  per  second.  If  the  work  is  not  held  down  firmly,  the  saw 
blade  will  be  bent  or  twisted  and  this  will  cause  it  to  break.  When 
turning  a  corner  keep  the  saw  going  up  and  down  at  a  good  rate  of 
speed  at  the  corner  to  be  turned,  and  at  the  same  time  slowly  turn 
the  work  around  into  the  desired  position.  Of  course,  the  saw  must 
be  kept  at  right  angles  to  the  work  at  all  times. 

Never  use  dull  tools.  With  the  use  of  oil  and  an  'oil  stone  a  true 
mechanic  and  craftsman  always  keeps  tools  in  working  condition. 
Lastly,  I  would  say  that  the  three  essentials  for  satisfactory  work  are 
common  sense,  carefulness,  and  accuracy. 


Fencing.     Fencing  Rods,  Work  of  Seventh  Grade  Class, 

Durham,  N.  C. 
(Photograph  by  Author) 


Correlation  of  Nature-study  and  Manual  Training.     Pittsburgh  Vacation  Schools,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

(Photograph  by  Author) 


Garden  Tools  Made  and  Used  in  One  of  the  Pittsburgh  Vacation  Schools 
(Kindness  of  Mr.  J.  Thompson) 


MANUAL   TRAINING— PLAY 
PROBLEMS 

CONSTRUCTIVE  WORK  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  BASED 
ON  THE  PLAY  INTEREST 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


TOPS.  Tops  may  range  from  the  crude  primitive  ones  used  by 
the  Indians,  to  the  wonderful  gyroscope.  The  usual  methods  of  spin- 
ning the  simpler  ones  are  by  means  of  the  thumb  and  finger,  the  palms 
of  the  hands,  and  the  whip  cord.  Fig.  1  represents  the  simplest 
kind  of  a  top  made  from  an  empty  spool.  Fit  a  dowel  tightly  into 
the  hole  at  the  center  of  the  spool,  cut  the  inside  bevel  down  to  the 
center,  and  the  top  will  be  ready  for  service.  A  round-headed  tack 
or  escutcheon  pin  may  be  used  at  the  point  for  a  plug.  If  it  is  desired 
to  use  a  cord  with  this  top,  make  a  holder  for  it  as  suggested  in  Fig.  2. 
Bore  a  small  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  stem  to  insert  the  end  of  the 
cord.  This  will  catch  the  end  of  the  cord  and  prevent  it  from  slipping 
around  the  stem  when  beginning  to  wind  the  top.  Wrap  the  cord 
with  the  holder  in  position  on  the  stem  of  the  top.  To  spin  the  top, 
place  it  in  position  and  with  one  hand  grasping  the  holder  pull  the 
cord,  after  which  slip  the  holder  off  the  stem. 

Many  interesting  variations  can  be  worked  out.  An  outline  profile 
made  of  wire  can  be  made  as  suggested  in  Fig.  4.  The  straight  end 
of  this  wire  can  be  slipped  into  a  hole  bored  into  the  end  of  the  stem. 
The  rapid  movement  of  the  top  will  give  to  it  an  oddly  interesting 
appearance.  Studies  in  color  combination  can  be  made  by  placing 
colored  papers  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  disc.  See  Figs.  1  and  3. 
Tops  made  of  sheet  metal  can  be  made  to  produce  a  variety  of  humming 
sounds  by  means  of  openings  cut  into  the  surface  of  the  metal.  With 
the  wooden  top  this  humming  is  possible  to  a  very  limited  extent  only. 


TOPS 


FIG.  I 


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Fig.  5  looks  like  a  butterfly  (page  7) ;  but,  when  twirled  between  the 
palms  of  the  hands,  drops  to  the  floor  and  spins  in  an  upright  position. 

The  ordinary  peg  top  must  be  turned  on  a  lathe.  A  screw  is  used 
for  the  plug,  and  the  head  filed  off.  See  Fig.  6. 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


CIGAR-BOX  FURNITURE.  See  page  xxi  for  general  sugges- 
tions on  furniture  construction. 

There  are  innumerable  possibilities  in  furniture  made  of  cigar 
boxes.  The  top  of  the  table  shown  in  Fig.  1  is  made  from  one  half 
of  a  cigar  box  sawed  in  two  lengthwise.  The  four  corners  of  the 
remaining  half  of  the  box  are  used  for  the  legs.  If  a  table  with  a  pro- 
jecting top  is  desired,  the  lid  of  a  box  somewhat  large  can  be  nailed 
on  top  of  this  as  shown  by  the  table  in  the  top  row  of  the  above 
photograph. 

The  davenport  as  shown  in  Fig.  2  is  made  by  sawing  a  box  in  halves 
lengthwise  and  fastening  the  two  halves  together  with  the  edge  sur- 
faces facing  each  other. 

The  rocker  cradle  as  suggested  in  Fig.  3  is  simply  made  by  fasten- 
ing on  end  pieces  cut  to  the  rocker  shape.  If  desired,  the  rockers 
can  be  made  to  fit  around  the  box  and  fastened  underneath. 

The  washstand  as  shown  in  Fig.  4  is  a  type  of  pieces  suitable  for 
bedroom  furniture,  wherein  the  box  is  taken  whole  and  additional 
pieces  such  as  top  or  uprights  fastened  on.  A  few  of  such  pieces  can 
be  seen  in  the  photograph.  With  little  modifications  most  of  the  dif- 
ferent pieces  of  furniture,  as  well  as  innumerable  other  problems,  can 
be  made  from  cigar  boxes  of  various  sizes. 

In  the  photograph  on  the  lower  row,  the  paper  is  shown  left  on 
the  boxes.  If  the  pieces  are  not  to  be  painted,  the  paper  should  be 
scraped  off  after  the  cutting  is  finished.  This  wood  splits  easily  even 


CIGAR-BOX  FURNITURE 


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when  worked  with  the  coping  saw.  The  paper  strengthens  it  con- 
siderably. For  this  reason  it  is  well  to  do  all  cutting  first.  When 
dampened  the  paper  can  readily  be  scraped  off.  If  the  box  is  to  be 
painted  or  varnished,  let  it  dry  before  applying. 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BUTTERFLY  AND  WHIRLIGIG.  The  top  or  wings  of  these 
problems  may  be  made  of  wood,  cardboard,  heavy  tin,  or  thin  sheet 
iron.  The  most  successful  flyers  have  been  made  single  as  shown  in 
Fig.  1 ,  but  with  a  cross-lap  joint  they  may  be  made  double  as  shown  in 
Fig.  1  of  the  windmills  on  page  35.  One  of  the  essential  elements  of 
the  butterfly  is  its  lightness.  The  wings  made  double  afford  an  excel- 
lent problem  in  a  cross-lap  joint  of  wood,  but  the  necessary  wood 
required  in  lapping  the  joint  is  apt  to  make  it  rather  heavy.  If  made 
of  tin  or  sheet  iron,  the  two  pieces  should  be  crossed  and  fastened 
together  before  piercing  the  hole  through  the  center  and  fastening 
with  a  small  nail  to  the  end  of  the  dowel. 

Fig.  2  and  the  photograph  give  the  necessary  information  for  mak- 
ing the  whirligig.  The  whirligigs  shown  in  the  above  photograph  have 
been  flown  over  the  top  of  the  schoolhouse  three  stories  high.  This 
may  be  made,  also,  with  double  wings,  as  already  suggested.  On 
account  of  the  power  possible  to  be  obtained  from  the  string  and 
spool,  the  added  weight  of  the  cross-lap  joint  is  less  objectionable.  A 
small  piece  of  wood  f "  square  can  be  rounded  up  for  the  handle  and 
a  round  rod  or  dowel  slightly  smaller  than  the  hole  in  the  spool  should 
be  inserted  into  one  end.  Drive  small  nails  into  the  projecting  end 
of  this  dowel  and  into  the  spool  and  cut  the  heads  off.  Make  holes 
in  the  top  piece  to  fit  over  these  nails  large  enough  to  allow  it  to  slip 
off  easily.  Notice  that  the  ends  of  the  top  pieces  are  bent  or  beveled 
in  opposite  directions  to  each  other.  For  the  top  or  wing  to  fly  off 


BUTTERFLY  AND  WHIRLIGIG 


BUTTERFLY 


A  VERY  SUCCCSSfUL 

FLYER  wtttn  nfloc. 

OF  A  LIGHT  WOOP 


WITH  ft  QUICK  TWIRL 
OF  THE.  ROD  BETWEEN 


se.no  IT  UPWARDS 


'6, 


"XI 


WHIRLIGIG 


OFWOODJIIICR 
CftROBOW 


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FIG.  1 

SIDE  VIEW 

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1  DOWEL  Jjj'RllWDXjJt 
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when  the  string  is  pulled,  it  must  be  wound  so  that  the  action  of  the 
air  will  force  it  upward.  Alternating  stripes  of  color  applied  to  the 
top  piece  add  much  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  flyers.  Flying  contests 
create  interest  in  the  use  of  various  materials  and  in  good  construction. 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RING  TOSS  GAMES.  The  object  of  this  game  is  to  toss  the  ring 
in  the  air  and  catch  it  on  a  hook  fastened  to  the  end  of  a  stick.  The 
simplest  form  is  shown  in  Fig.  1 .  Use  a  large-sized  screw,  hook,  and 
cord  about  two  feet  long.  Make  the  ring  of  wire,  reed,  raffia,  card- 
board, or  heavy  cord.  For  rounding  the  handle  see  pages  60  and  61. 

Other  interesting  arrangements  involve  forms  which  can  be  sawed 
out  with  the  coping  saw,  such  as  those  shown  in  the  photograph. 
The  wire  used  for  the  ring  should  be  about  |"  in  diameter.  Color- 
ing adds  much  to  the  interest  of  such  figures.  If  the  lathe  is  avail- 
able, this  game  might  be  worked  into  a  cup  and  ball  arrangement, 
the  ball  taking  the  place  of  the  ring,  the  object  being  to  catch  the  ball 
in  the  cup ;  or  a  small  net  might  be  fastened  to  the  end  of  a  stick,  the 
object  being  to  catch  the  ball  in  the  net.  Fig.  3  has  been  suggested 
by  Henry  Turner  Bailey.  Here  is  his  description  of  how  a  boy  of  his 
acquaintance  made  one :  "  He  had  taken  a  barrel  head  and  nailed 
cleats  across  to  hold  the  pieces  together.  He  had  covered  the  smooth 
side  with  a  piece  of  brown  paper  on  which  he  had  drawn  a  six-pointed 
star,  using  a  string,  he  told  me,  to  get  it  right,  into  this  star  at  the 
center  and  at  the  angles  he  had  driven  long,  slim  wire  nails ;  and  "with 
a  pair  of  pliers  he  had  bent  up  each  head-end  at  right  angles  with  the 
rest  of  the  nail,  making  hooks  like  L's  driven  head  first  into  the  board. 
Under  the  center  nail  he  had  printed  1 00.  The  others  were  numbered 
as  you  see  in  the  sketch.  This  circular  board  was  hung  on  the  outside 
wall  of  the  house.  We  stood  about  10  feet  away  and  pitched  rings 


RING  TOSS  GAMES 


FIG.  2. 


RING  TOSS 


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at  it  to  see  how  much  we  could  make.     What  sort  of  rings  do  you  sup- 
pose?    Rubber  rings !     Rings  from  off  his  mother's  preserve  jars."  1 

(Note :     The  above  scale  has  been  reduced  one-tenth  of  the  original.) 
1  School-Arts  Book,  January,  1908,  p.  439. 


10  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BUZZER  —  PRIMITIVE  DRILL.  Every  boy  is  familiar  with  the 
buzzer.  In  the  school  workshop  it  can  be  made  the  first  lesson  in 
whittling.  Fig.  1  is  a  disc  of  wood  or  metal  in  the  center  of  which 
are  punched  two  holes  into  which  a  cord  is  slipped.  Fig.  2  is  a  simi- 
lar arrangement  in  which  a  rectangular  strip  of  wood  is  used  for  the 
disc.  A  color  disc  can  be  made  by  pasting  colors  on  the  sides ;  for 
instance,  semicircles  of  blue  and  yellow  when  put  in  motion  will  pro- 
duce green.  An  irregular  edge  on  the  disc  or  holes  pierced  in  the 
disc  near  the  outer  rim  will  produce  whistling  sounds. 

Fig.  3  is  an  Indian  string  drill.  A  rod  is  fitted  securely  into  one 
end  of  a  round  disc.  This  disc,  when  set  in  motion,  is  the  balance 
wheel  which  supplies  the  necessary  momentum  to  the  drill.  Into  the 
center  of  the  end  of  the  rod  is  fastened  a  drill  point  which  can  be  made 
of  a  piece  of  steel  wire,  a  hat  pin,  or  nail.  A  hole  slightly  larger  than 
the  diameter  of  the  rod  is  bored  into  the  center  of  the  horizontal  strip. 

To  string  the  drill,  bore  holes  at  each  end  of  the  horizontal  strip. 
Then  slip  the  cord  through  the  hole  in  the  rod  and  fasten  the  ends 
of  the  cord  to  the  ends  of  the  horizontal  strip  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 
In  the  photograph  it  will  be  noticed  that  nails  are  used  to  fasten  the 
cord.  The  holes  have  been  found  to  be  more  satisfactory. 

To  work  the  drill,  place  it  in  position  and  set  it  going  by  spinning 
the  disc  with  the  hand.  This  will  twist  or  wind  up  the  cord  around 
the  rod.  As  soon  as  it  is  wound  up,  press  down  firmly  on  the  horizontal 
strip,  pressing  down  as  soon  as  wound  up,  which  will  cause  it  to  un- 


BUZZER  — PRIMITIVE  DRILL 


11 


-  DRILL 


FIG.  Z 


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EDGE;  VIEW 


STOCK  _  I  D  I  SC    a/4"  A  '/&"  \  4" 


I  DISC 3"DIAM 

I   ROD '/i"0IAn  X?" 


wind  and  spin  in  the  opposite  direction.  As  soon  as  it  is  unwound, 
relieve  the  pressure  on  the  horizontal  piece  and  the  momentum  of  the 
disc  will  cause  it  to  wind  itself  up  again.  By  thus  repeatedly  press- 
ing and  relieving  the  pressure,  the  drill  is  kept  continuously  in  motion. 


12 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


GARDEN  SIGN  —  TRELLIS  —  STICK  —  LABEL.  The  garden 
signs  are  very  convenient  for  indicating  the  numbers  or  owners  of  the 
garden  plots.  The  sign  board  or  crosspiece  should  be  painted  or  labeled 
before  fastening  it  to  the  upright.  A  thin  coating  of  white  shellac 

or  filler  should  be  applied  to  the 
sign  board  before  painting  on  the 
letters  to  prevent  the  paint  from 
running.  If  the  sign  is  to  be  perma- 
nent, to  withstand  the  weather  from 
year  to  year,  a  coat  of  spar  varnish 
should  be  applied  after  the  lettering 
has  dried  thoroughly. 

The  upright  of  the  trellis  (Fig. 
2)  should  be  made  of  perfectly 
straight  grained  wood.  Divide  the 
If"  width  into  four  equal  parts  by 
gauging  the  lines  apart.  Saw  on 
these  lines  within  6"  of  the  end. 
Spread  the  strips  thus  made,  and 
hold  them  apart  with  a  crosspiece  as 
suggested  in  the  drawing.  Any 
number  of  strips  as  desired  can  be 
thus  made. 

The  kind  of  trellis  suggested  in 
Fig.  3  and  the  photograph  can  be 
made  with  one  or  more  uprights 
and  any  number  of  crosspieces.  At 
least  two  nails  should  be  put  in 
each  joint  and  these  should  be 
firmly  clinched.  In  each  case  the  crosspiece  should  project  somewhat 
beyond  the  uprights. 

The  plant  stick  should  be  made  long  and  heavy  enough  to  suit 
the  intended  use.  There  should  be  one  or  more  notches  at  the  top 
end  to  hold  the  string  in  position.  The  problem  as  suggested  admits 
of  quite  a  number  of  elementary  tool  exercises. 


GARDEN  SIGN  — TRELLIS  — STICK  — LABEL 


13 


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The  name  of  the  plant  can  be  printed  on  one  side  or  on  both  sides. 
The  seed  or  plant  label  suggested  in  Fig.  5  is  a  suitable  problem 
for  beginning  knife  work.  If  made  longer  and  notched  at  the  top  end, 
it  can  be  used  as  a  plant  stick  also. 


14  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


KALEIDOSCOPES.  A  very  simple  form  of  kaleidoscope  is  shown 
in  Fig.  1 .  Long  narrow  panels  of  glass  should  be  used,  as  length  multi- 
plies the  reflections  and  thus  produces  a  more  effective  kaleidoscope. 
Mirror  glass  is  best,  but  ordinary  window  glass  will  do.  Tie  them 
into  a  triangular  shape  as  shown  by  the  second  figure  in  the  photo- 
graph. Next  cover  the  outside  of  the  glass  triangle  with  a  dark  cover 
paper.  Seal  one  end  up  with  tracing  cloth  or  a  tough  tracing  paper. 
Stand  on  end  with  the  open  end  at  the  top  and  drop  in  bits  of  colored 
glass,  or  other  particles.  Lastly,  paste  a  piece  of  opaque  paper  over 
the  open  end  and  punch  or  cut  out  a  little  peep  hole.  Hold  so  that 
light  will  penetrate  from  below  through  the  tracing  cloth  or  paper. 

Fig.  2  has  a  revolving  end,  as  shown  in  the  photograph.  Select 
a  long  tin  can  and  punch  a  small  opening  in  the  bottom  for  a  peep 
hole.  Cut  glass  to  fit  inside  the  can.  To  improve  the  reflecting 
power  of  the  common  window  glass,  blacken  with  smoke  or  paint 
on  one  side.  To  hold  the  glass  in  place,  wedge  a  cork  back  of  the 
strips  of  glass.  Cut  a  large  opening  into  the  end  of  the  lid  of  the  can 
and  cover  this  opening  with  a  disc  of  glass  or  tracing  cloth.  The  frosted 
glass  for  this  is  most  desirable.  The  frosted  effect  can  be  produced 
by  rubbing  on  a  paste  made  of  whiting.  Fasten  this  disc  securely  in 
the  lid.  On  this  glass  drop  bits  of  colored  particles.  Now  put  the 
lid  in  place  on  the  can  and  turn  it  upside  down.  By  revolving  the  lid 
with  the  can  stationary,  an  ever  changing  panoramic  effect  is  produced. 

Fig.  3  is  a  "duplicator."     It  is  much  used  by  designers.    To  con- 


KALEIDOSCOPES 


15 


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struct,  fasten  two  pieces  of  mirror  glass  together  with  a  piece  of 
gummed  cloth  or  tape.  To  use,  set  it  on  end  with  the  two  mirrored 
surfaces  at  right  angles  placed  around  the  design  to  be  used.  With 
this  double  mirror  a  design  can  be  made  to  multiply  itself  four  times. 


16  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BEAN  BAG  GAMES.  For  bean  bag  games,  hoops  of  various 
sizes  can  be  fastened  together,  one  within  the  other  in  concentric 
circles ;  or  boxes  of  various  sizes  can  be  fastened  one  within  the  other. 
In  such  an  arrangement  the  throw  which  places  the  bag  in  the  smallest 
or  middle  hoop  or  box  receives  the  highest  count. 

Animal  and  human  figures  add  considerable  interest  to  the  game, 
such  as :  the  figures  of  persons  holding  in  their  outstretched  hands 
discs,  squares,  or  objects  represented  by  openings ;  or  the  eyes,  nose, 
and  mouth  cut  out  of  a  board  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1 . 

To  make  the  board  suggested  in  Fig.  1 ,  select  two  pieces  the  proper 
length  and  half  the  required  width.  Fasten  the  two  pieces  together 
with  two  brads  or  a  handscrew  so  that  it  is  possible  to  cut  out  both 
sides  by  sawing  through  the  two  thicknesses  at  the  same  time.  Cut 
the  openings,  and  trim  to  the  outline.  Take  the  two  pieces  apart 
and  fasten  in  position  with  three  battens,  one  between  the  nose  and 
the  mouth  to  strengthen  this  part  which  otherwise  would  break  off. 
To  hold  the  board  in  an  upright  position,  a  rest  or  leg  can  be 
attached  to  the  back  by  means  of  a  strip  of  leather  or  cloth  used  as 
a  hinge ;  or  a  nail  or  wire  can  be  used  as  a  pivot  as  shown  in  Fig.  1 . 

In  the  lower  row  in  the  photograph  is  seen  a  box  in  which  is  a 
wire  fastened  lengthwise.  One  or  more  wooden  figures  are  put  on 
this  wire  so  as  to  revolve  upon  the  wire.  The  object  of  the  game  is 
to  strike  one  of  the  figures  and  thus  make  it  revolve.  Another  arrange- 
ment shown  in  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  the  photograph  is  a  box 


BEAN  BAG  GAMES 


17 


BtWI  DAG 


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STOCK, 

2  PICCELS _4v!i"  X 


FIG.  2. 


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FIG.  3 


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STOCK .  OrtH  CIGWI  BOX.  flSOUf  5"X3"X9" 


with  a  sliding  cover.     By  means  of  this  sliding  cover  the  opening  can 
be  made  any  size  desired. 

The  bean  bags  should  suit  the  openings.     The  ones  shown  in  the 
top  row  of  the  photograph  were  made  1"  square,  to  use  with  Fig.  1. 


18 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


CHAIRS.  See  page  xxi  for  general  suggestions  on  furniture 
construction.  The  type  of  work  herein  suggested,  if  properly  made, 
will  stand  much  rough  usage.  The  seat  part  should  be  fairly  thick 
and  requires  careful  work  in  boring.  The  holes  should  be  bored 
until  the  point  of  the  bit  begins  to  come  through.  The  ends  of  the 
pieces  that  fit  into  the  wood  should  not  be  tapered,  but  should  be 
trimmed  round  so  as  to  make  a  perfectly  snug  fit.  They  should  be 
fastened  in  place  with  glue  and  brads.  For  the  backs€  and  the  legs 
of  the  chairs,  scraps  of  trimmings  can  be  used.  If  a  rustic  effect  is 
desired,  use  twigs  of  wood  with  the  bark  on.  The  holes  for  the  legs 
should  be  bored  so  that  the  legs  will  slant  outward  in  both  directions. 
The  ends  of  the  legs  should  be  slightly  rounded  or  chamfered  so  that 
the  edges  will  not  split  when  pushed  across  the  floor.  The  back  strips 
of  the  chair  such  as  in  Fig.  1  should  be  fastened  together  with  two  nails 
in  each  cross-lap  joint.  Use  nails  in  these  joints  long  enough  so  that 
the  ends  can  be  turned  and  clinched  firmly. 

This  type  of  construction  can  be  used  in  many  other  pieces  of  doll 
furniture  such  as  tables,  taborets,  and  beds.  By  making  the  seat 
longer,  a  divan  such  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  2  can  be  made.  By  leaving 
off  the  back,  a  stool  can  be  made  such  as  shown  above.  If  a  table  is 
desired,  it  must  be  made  proportionately  larger.  Make  it  the  desired 
width  and  length,  and  5"  high  instead  of  3".  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  this  type  of  construction  cannot  be  applied  to  the  larger 
size  pieces  of  furniture,  because  it  is  not  practicable  to  have  the  seat 


CHAIRS 


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proportionately  as  thick ;  and  a  more  thorough  bracing  is  needed 
because  of  the  greater  strain  proportionately  made  upon  the  larger 
pieces  of  furniture.  And,  too,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  chil- 
dren demand  things  made  quickly,  else  they  will  lose  interest. 


20 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RUNNING  WHEELS.  Many  ingenious  lever  and  eccentric  types 
of  running  wheel  can  be  constructed,  a  few  of  which  are  illustrated 
in  Figs.  2  and  3  of  the  opposite  drawing,  and  also  the  drawing  on 
page  25.  With  these  problems  opportunity  is  given  for  the  study  of 
mechanics  of  the  lever  and  eccentric.  The  long-armed  Goo-goo  jacks 
afford  an  interest  to  the  younger  children  which  is  very  desirable  to 
the  manual  training  teacher. 

If  coping  saws  are  not  available,  the  figures  can  be  cut  out  of 
cardboard  and  glued  or  tacked  on,  as  suggested  in  Fig.  2.  If  cut  out 
of  wood  by  means  of  coping  saws,  definite  limitations  of  size  and  shape 
are  necessary  so  as  to  obtain  good  proportion  and  to  avoid  short  grain. 
Boys  can  work  out  their  own  individual  modifications  of  the  figures. 
These  are  best  cut  out  of  paper  with  scissors  first  and  then  traced 
around  on  the  wood.  If  time  is  limited,  the  teacher  can  work  a  few 
forms  out  of  heavy  paper  or  thin  wood  and  allow  the  pupils  to  use 
them  as  templates. 

The  simplest  running  wheel  is  made  of  a  round  disc  of  wood  or 
metal  for  the  wheel  with  a  broom  stick  for  a  handle.  A  groove  is 
sawed  in  the  end  of  the  stick,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1 . 

For  the  arm  to  revolve  properly,  the  distance  between  the  pivots 
on  the  body  must  always  be  somewhat  greater  than  the  distance 
between  the  pivots  on  the  wheel.  In  making  the  holes  for  the  pivots 
bore  with  a  small  drill  or  drive  the  nail  in  very  carefully,  else  the  thin 
wood  will  split.  For  further  directions  for  this  work,  see  page  xix. 


RUNNING  WHEELS 


21 


RUMMIMG  WHEELS 


BROOM  HANDLE.  OR  5QUWRE.  STICIS 


rtlftlLOR  SMALL  BOLT  OR  SCREW  TOP  VI  E.W 

FIG.  I 


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The  sliding  leg,  as  in  Fig.  3,  must  not  be  fastened  close  up  against 
the  edge  of  the  stick,  but  a  space  of  ^"  or  more  must  be  allowed. 

For  further  directions  as  to  construction  of  running  wheels,  see 
Running  Wheels,  pages  24  and  25. 


22 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


PISTOL  AND  SLING  SHOT.  Fig.  1  is  made  by  taking  three 
thin  pieces  of  wood  about  ^"  thick,  the  desired  length  and  width. 
Fasten  them  together  by  means  of  a  brad  at  each  end.  After  sawing 
the  outline,  take  the  pieces  apart  and  saw  a  part  out  of  the  middle 
section  so  that,  when  the  pieces  are  put  together  again,  a  groove  is 
left  in  the  barrel  and  a  slot  is  formed  so  that  the  trigger  can  be  set  in 
position.  The  side  view  of  Fig.  1  shows  the  trigger  in  position.  It 
should  be  very  slightly  thinner  than  the  thickness  of  the  middle  sec- 
tion, but  not  free  enough  to  drop  down  loosely.  After  the  pieces  are 
fastened  together,  the  trigger  should  be  pivoted  in  place  with  a  nail. 

The  rubber  band  is  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  barrel  by  means  of 
a  brad  which  is  bent  over  far  enough  to  lock  the  rubber  band  in  place. 
To  cock  the  pistol,  pull,  the  rubber  band  back  so  that  it  is  held  by  the 
notch  just  above  the  trigger. 

If  the  stock  and  barrel  are  to  be  made  of  one  piece  instead  of  three, 
the  slot  for  the  trigger  must  be  cut  out  with  an  auger  bit  and  chisel. 
The  groove  of  the  barrel  should  be  cut  out  half-round  or  square. 

Fig.  3  is  a  trigger  in  which  two  rubber  bands  are  used,  as  shown 
in  the  upper  figure  of  the  photograph.  Take  care  that  the  upper 
end  of  the  trigger  does  not  project  up  too  high,  else  the  rubber  will 
lie  too  close  to  the  top  of  the  barrel. 

The  shaft  or  arrow  (Fig.  2)  should  be  made  to  fit  in  the  groove  of 
the  barrel.  The  rear  end  should  be  slit  and  a  paper  rudder  inserted. 
The  forward  end  should  be  weighted  slightly.  A  small  brad  driven 


PISTOL  AND  SLING  SHOT 


23 


PISTOL  -  SLING-SHOT 


FIG. I 


STOCK 

3  STOCK.  AMD  BARREL  2A" 
I    TRIGGER. >1" 


FIG.  3 


\ 


FIG   a. 


TRIGGEfv 


SHAFT  9<6"DIAh    X 


SIDE:  VIEW 


STOCK 

I   WIRE J£"DIAM.  \   10" 

OR  • 

I  CROTCH  OF  BRANCH  5"" 
I  RUBBER  BAND_/^."  X.  5" 
I  LEATHER ^3/4."  ^,  X.' 


SCALE 


FROMT 
VIEW 


into  the  end  will  enable  the  arrow  to  stick  into  the  target.  To  pre- 
vent the  end  from  splitting,  wrap  with  fine  wire.  The  wire  and  brad 
will  be  enough  weight  for  it  to  carry  itself  head  foremost.  The  rear 
end  must  be  notched  slightly  to  catch  the  rubber  band. 


24 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RUNNING  WHEELS.  Figs.  1  and  2  are  long-armed  Goo-goo 
jacks  that  continuously  turn  around  the  wheel  as  it  runs  along  the 
ground.  In  Fig.  1  the  leg  which  is  made  in  one  piece  can  be  fastened 
to  the  stick,  or  it  can  be  pivoted  at  the  foot  and  a  block  fastened  to  the 
stick  to  keep  it  from  falling.  In  Fig.  2  the  jack  sits  on  top  of  the  stick. 
If  a  simpler  construction  is  desired,  the  body  can  be  made  as  wide  as 
the  stick ;  and  in  this  case  the  leg  can  be  made  in  one  piece.  In  the 
drawing  the  leg  is  made  of  two  pieces  which  pi.vot  at  the  knee.  A 
washer  is  also  needed  at  the  shoulder  so  as  to  bring  the  arm  on  a  line 
with  the  outside  of  the  wheel. 

Two  pivots  are  always  necessary  on  the  body,  one  at  the  hip  and 
one  at  the  shoulder.  The  distance  between  these  two  pivots  must 
be  somewhat  greater  than  the  distance  between  the  axis  of  the  wheel 
and  the  pivot  of  the  eccentric. 

In  fastening  together  it  is  well  to  have  the  parts  in  position,  as 
shown  in  the  drawing.  Note  that  when  the  stick  is  in  a  horizontal 
position  the  pivots  on  both  body  and  wheel  are  directly  above  each  other. 

For  the  axis  of  the  wheel  a  small  bolt  is  very  desirable,  but  a  wire 
or  common  nail  with  the  end  bent  over  is  satisfactory.  If  a  bolt  is 
used,  the  end  of  it  should  be  hammered  to  upset  it  a  little  so  that  the 
nut  will  not  slip  off  and  get  lost.  A  small  metal  washer  or  burr 
between  all  joints  that  pivot  is  desirable.  Grease  or  wax  will  also 
help  reduce  friction.  All  the  parts  that  pivot  must  be  slightly  larger 
than  the  diameter  of  the  wire  on  which  they  turn.  See  page  xx. 


RUNNING  WHEELS 


25 


RunninG  WHEELS 


I  500Y_ 

I  STICK _I"XJ4"X36"       I  ARM Va  "   X>V,*3>i" 

4-X*"DlAiiXV         I  LEG />4."  A>4"  X  6K*." 


. 

&TOCK          '  WHEEL! 4/x"DlAM.  X  !^"         *.  THIGHS /    "   X  V*." 

I  BODY I  >i"X  ?fe"X  5  "         i  CflLV£5_^4-"  X  >4-"  X  3V 


Before  fastening  the  parts  together,  paint  with  bright  colors  to 
add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  wheel.  The  ones  talented  in  drawing 
can  paint  the  facial  expressions,  or  printed  designs  may  be  cut  from 
cards  or  the  pages  of  magazines. 


26 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


Trap  illustrations  by  courtesy  of  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

TRAPS.  The  figure-four  trap,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1 ,  can  be  used  with 
a  packing  box,  as  shown  in  the  photograph  on  page  90,  or  it  may  be 
used  with  a  weighted  board  as  a  dead  fall.  If  a  box  is  used,  fasten  on 
the  lid  with  hinges  at  one  end.  This  is  necessary  so  that,  when  the  box 
is  lifted  from  the  ground,  the  animal  will  not  escape.  If  the  trap  is 
for  rats  or  mice,  the  box  selected  should  be  small  so  that  it  can  be  put 
into  an  ordinary  water  bucket.  To  hold  the  trap  in  a  set  position 
it  is  necessary  that  the  weight  of  the  box  rest  on  the  top  of  the  catch 
piece.  A  slight  movement  at  the  bait  end  of  the  trigger  will  cause 
the  set  pieces  to  fall  apart  and  the  box  will  drop  with  a  bang.  For  the 
traps  for  the  smaller  animals  the  sticks  to  make  up  the  Fig.  4  should 
not  be  as  large  as  those  suggested  in  the  drawing  because,  if  the  sticks 
get  caught  between  the  edges  of  the  box  and  the  lid,  there  will  be  an 
opening  left  large  enough  for  the  rodent  to  escape. 

The  traps  suggested  in  Figs.  2  and  3  are  made  by  pivoting  the  lid 
so  that  a  slight  weight  on  one  side  will  cause  it  to  tip  down  quickly. 
The  lid  of  the  barrel  should  be  battened  and  the  edges  trimmed  off  so 
that  it  will  be  small  enough  to  work  freely  within  the  top  of  the  barrel. 
The  bait  fastened  to  one  side,  as  suggested,  will  tempt  the  rat  or 
mouse,  and  their  weight  will  make  the  lid  tip,  and  cause  the  rodent 
to  be  dumped  into  the  barrel.  One  side  of  the  lid  should  be  slightly 
heavier  than  the  other,  so  that  the  lid  will  comeback  into  position.  This 
can  be  made  by  fastening  a  weight  under  one  side,  or  by  pivoting  the 
lid  very  slightly  out  of  center.  A  stop  must  be  fastened  on  one  side 
of  the  barrel  for  the  lid  to  set  even  with  the  top  of  the  barrel,  and 
one  on  the  side  near  the  pivot  to  prevent  the  lid  from  swinging  clear 
around.  / 


TRAPS 


27 


TRAPS 


STOCK  FOR  FIGURE  FOUR  TRAP 

I  TRIGGER H"  X  V 

I  UPRIGHT >i"  X  ^t" 

I  CftTCH Y£  XH" 


•    <-4' 

°\         r1          ' 

-«r 

]1 

11 
r  '" 

I 

STOP-£ 

,1 

i 
—  1 

~l 
1 

i 

_^xS.  0  o  \ 

Pivor      V-..    ^*J 
~-^f~^ 

LBftlT 


F!G. 


FIG  3 


STO 


\ 


f^-STOP 

~ 


STOCK 


Z  SIDES- 
i  E1NDS_ 


STOCK 

1  5ARRE1L.OR  KEG 
1  Bf\RREI_TOP 


I    BOTTOM 

i  TOP 

I   TOP 

i  STOPS. 3/4"  X  !/&"  X  2." 


7H"X   3/. 

7WX  W  X  18" 
"  X  794" 
"  x  (34" 


The  trap  suggested  in  Fig.  3  is  large  enough  to  catch  rats  and  small 
enough  to  fit  into  the  ordinary  water  bucket.  The  cross-section  view 
on  the  opposite  page  shows  the  same  construction  with  a  dropping 
lid  on  each  side  of  the  box.  See  also  Box  Traps  on  page  90. 


28 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BOATS.  In  making  Fig.  1  first  shape  the  bottom  piece.  Next 
nail  the  end  pieces  to  the  bottom  before  shaping  their  edges  to  match 
the  curve  of  the  sides.  Note  that  the  grain  of  the  wood  in  the  ends 
runs  vertical.  This  is  done  so  that  when  put  in  the  water  the  bottom 
and  end  pieces  will  swell  proportionately  in  width.  In  fastening  on 
the  sides  begin  at  one  end  and  tack  to  the  edge  of  the  bottom  piece. 
Press  the  side  in  position  and  tack  down  tightly  a  little  at  a  time  until 
the  side  piece  fits  up  against  the  edge  of  the  bottom  piece  all  the  way 
along.  Spring  and  nail  the  seat  into  place.  This  will  help  to  keep 
the  sides  in  shape.  If  it  is  difficult  to  bend  the  sides  into  shape,  soak 
them  in  hot  water  or  steam  them,  and  they  will  be  more  pliable.  A 
small  hole  can  be  bored  through  the  middle  of  the  seat  and  part  way 
into  the  bottom ;  and  a  small  rod  put  in  on  which  may  be  fastened 
a  flag  or  a  paper  sail. 

In  Fig.  2  cut  out  the  back  f "  or  J"  wider  than  the  paddle  so  that 
it  will  not  strike  the  boat.  One  or  two  pieces  can  be  used  for  the  paddle 
wheels.  If  made  of  two  pieces,  the  middle  part  must  be  cut  for  a 
cross-lap  joint.  To  hold  the  paddle  wheel  in  place  on  the  boat,  notches 
are  cut  to  receive  the  rubber  band.  Put  the  rubber  band  in  place, 
twist  by  turning  the  paddle  wheel  backward ;  and  it  is  ready  to  run. 
The  hub  or  center  of  the  paddle  wheel  for  Fig.  3  can  be  made  of  any 
circular  or  octagonal  piece.  A  large  spool  will  do.  With  a  thin  saw 
make  the  grooves  for  the  sheet  metal  pieces.  The  metal  must  be  thick 
enough  to  hold  in  tightly,  but  not  too  tight,  else  it  will  split.  Staples 


BOATS 


29 


BOATS 


STOCK 


^T*  *  i.£MD I'/i" 

I  EMO ITS" 


FIG.  I 


_^ 

1 

L           j                      ' 

1 
1 

i 
i 

h 

1 

II 


7" 


_2fc_ 


SIDE 


:-N    MOTCrt^* 

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r 

< 

; 

TOP  VI  FW 

_  L 

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IUBBE.BB1KBTW 

hre-p1        > 

STOCK      I  60TTOIx1-i?4"/x-56"  Xxa"         2.  PAODLHS_l>^"Xit"X2.i' 


id  VIEW 
I  BOTTOM _  X."  x.  Kit."  x.Yyz," 


STOCK 

UBS-^' 

i  A\LEL_4-" 


HMD  VI LW 


2-  BEftfUrtGS  _  j/x." 

i  ST 


should  be  used  to  hold  the  axle  in  place.  This  can  be  made  of  a  wooden 
dowel  or  a  piece  of  wire.  The  hubs  must  be  secured  tightly  to  this 
axle.  A  steel  spring  from  a  corset  will  serve  for  the  power.  Fasten 
with  a  fine  cord  and  wind  up  into  the  position  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 


30 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


NETS  AND  INSECT  BOTTLES.  The  net  as  suggested  in  Fig. 
1  is  used  for  catching  all  kinds  of  insects.  Every  boy  and  girl  should 
have  one  of  his  own.  By  means  of  it  a  supply  of  nature-study  material 
can  be  readily  obtained.  No.  1 2  spring  brass  or  steel  wire  4  or  5  feet 
long  should  be  used  for  the  ring.  Put  the  wire  around  the  end  of 
any  cylindrical  surface  about  10"  or  12"  in  diameter,  and  give  it  one 
or  two  tight  twists.  A  broom  stick  can  be  used  for  the  handle,  but 
it  has  been  found  to  be  somewhat  heavy.  A  light  wood  should  be 
used. 

Several  methods  of  fastening  the  ends  of  the  wire  to  the  handle 
are  suggested  in  the  drawing.  Fig.  4  shows  a  hole  slightly  larger 
than  the  wire  bored  through  the  middle  of  the  handle  about  2"  from 
the  end.  The  loose  ends  of  the  wire  should  be  about  3"  long.  Place 
the  ends  of  the  wire  alongside  of  the  handle,  one  on  each  side,  and 
turn  the  points  into  the  hole,  previously  bored,  as  shown  in  Fig.  4. 
To  hold  this  securely  in  place,  put  it  in  the  vise,  squeeze  it  tightly 
enough  to  force  the  wires  into  the  surface  of  the  wood,  and  finally 
wrap  with  fine  binding  wire  or  cord,  as  shown  in  the  drawing.  The 
method  shown  in  Fig.  5  is  made  by  twisting  the  free  ends  of  the  wire 
throughout  their  entire  length,  which  should  be  about  2"  or  3".  Then 
bore  a  hole  in  the  center  of  the  end  of  the  handle,  just  small  enough 
for  the  twisted  ends  of  the  wires  to  be  forced  in.  In  Fig.  6  two  holes 
slightly  smaller  than  the  diameter  of  the  wire  are  bored  into  the  end 
of  the  handle.  Into  these  holes  the  ends  of  the  wire  are  forced.  This 


NETS  AND   INSECT  BOTTLES 


31 


MELTS 

•EH1D  VIEW  or  HflHDUC.  EW  VIEW  OF  HfMIDLUS,  WITHOUT  RIHG 


STOCK  FOR  INSECT  ME.T 
1  HANDLE.  I"  A  I"X06;"     48"  *-tt,  SPRING  WIRE.      I  YD- 


STOCK  FOR  POLLYWOC 
Fl&tt  NET 

4Z"  *  12.  SPRIMG 

3  SQ.  FEET  FIMEL  ME5H  HET 


STOCK  FOR  INSECT  BOTTLE! 
i  LARGE:  MOUTHED  BOTTLE:, 

I   OZ.  POTASSIUM  CYANIDE.  COVC(\C.I> 
WITH  SAWDUST  rtHD 


JXL 


FIG./ 


and  the  one  previously  suggested  should  be  wrapped  very  firmly  with 
binding  wire  so  as  to  hold  the  ends  of  the  wire  more  firmly  in  place 
and  to  prevent  the  handle  from  splitting.  Sometimes  these  types  are 
made  so  that  the  handle  can  be  slipped  on  and  off  as  desired.  Fig.  7 


32  MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 

allows  for  this  very  readily.  The  ends  of  the  wires  are  wrapped 
very  tightly  around  a  round  stick  in  the  form  of  a  spiral.  This  cuts 
a  thread  or  a  spiral  depression  so  that  the  handle  can  be  screwed  on 
and  off  as  desired. 

Mosquito  netting  can  be  used  for  the  net,  but  cotton  tulle  or 
cheesecloth  lasts  much  longer.  A  narrow  strip  of  heavier  cloth  such 
as  muslin  should  be  sewed  around  the  wire  ring  and  the  lighter  cloth 
sewed  to  this.  Dr.  Hodge  suggests  that  the  depth  of  the  bag  be  a 
little  more  than  twice  the  diameter  of  the  ring,  so  as  to  lap  over  and 
close  well  when  an  insect  is  caught. 

The  insect  bottle.  (Fig.  3)  has  been  suggested  by  Dr.  Hodge.  He 
says :  "To  preserve  your  insect,  you  must  first  kill  it  without  injury 
and  this  is  best  done  with  a  cyanide  bottle.  Get  a  wide  mouthed 
bottle  and  a  good  cork  to  fit  it  tightly.  In  the  bottom  put  an  ounce 
of  potassium  cyanide  broken  into  lumps  not  larger  than  a  filbert; 
add  sawdust  a  little  more  than  enough  to  cover  the  largest  lumps  and 
pour  in  plaster  of  Paris,  mixed  to  a  consistency  of  thick  cream,  to 
form  a  layer  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick.  The  plaster  will  harden  in  a 
few  minutes,  and  an  insect  dropped  in  and  corked  up  will  die  almost 
instantly  and  without  injury  or  apparent  suffering.  What  kills  the 
insect  is  the  fumes  of  the  cyanide  coming  through  the  plaster  and 
saturating  the  air  within  the  bottle ;  hence,  avoid  breathing  any  of 
these  fumes  yourself  and  keep  the  bottle  tightly  corked  at  all  times. 
The  cyanide  is  a  deadly  poison,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  a  harmless- 
looking  white  substance,  not  unlike  lump  sugar  or  rock  salt  and  many 
other  things,  renders  it  one  of  the  most  dangerous  poisons  to  keep 
about  the  house.  (Label  the  bottle  as  in  Fig.  3.)  Such  a  bottle 
will  remain  good  for  a  season.  If  moisture  collects  in  it,  wipe  dry 
with  blotting  paper  or  a  soft  cloth. 

"  Insects  may  be  killed  with  chloroform.  If  this  is  preferred,  get 
an  ounce  of  it  in  a  flat  vial ;  stick  the  handle  of  a  camel's  hair  brush 
into  the  bottom  of  the  cork ;  and,  holding  the  insect  in  a  fold  of  the 
net,  apply  a  drop  of  chloroform  to  each  side  (for  insects  breathe 
through  a  row  of  minute  holes  along  the  sides),  and  the  insect  dies 
instantly. 


NETS  AND  INSECT  BOTTLES  33 

"  On  a  collecting  trip  you  will  also  need  a  newspaper,  in  which 
the  insects  may  neatly  be  folded  without  breaking  the  wings  or 
legs." l 

A  word  of  caution  as  to  the  purpose  of  catching  insects  will  not 
be  out  of  place  here.  The  collecting  should  not  be  the  aimless  catch- 
ing of  any  flying  thing  that  happens  to  attract  the  attention,  but  the 
aim  should  be  to  learn  to  know  the  important  things  about  the  most 
important  insects,  to  know  about  those  which  are  destructive  and  those 
which  are  beneficial.  Dr.  C.  F.  Hodge,  in  the  chapter  Plan  for  Insect 
Study,  of  his  book  Nature  Study  and  Life,  suggests :  that  we  collect 
insects  and  study  them  so  as  to  be  able  through  favorable  conditions 
to  propagate  and  make  use  of  the  insects  that  are  beneficial  to  combat 
and  destroy  those  that  are  injurious. 

On  account  of  the  peculiar  development  of  insect  life  it  is  necessary 
to  understand  the  life  story  of  the  insect,  which  means  all  the  changes 
it  goes  through  from  the  time  it  hatches  from  the  egg  to  the  time  it 
dies.  Most  insect  eggs  like  the  caterpillar  hatch  out  quite  differently 
from  the  parent  and  then  go  through  several  stages  of  development 
before  the  adult  insect  appears.  With  the  destructive  insects  it  is  very 
necessary  to  know  the  whole  life  story  so  as  to  find  their  weakest  point, 
that  we  may  most  easily  destroy  them.  With  the  beneficial  insects 
this  knowledge  is  necessary  so  that  we  may  develop  and  propagate 
them. 

A  fine  mesh  fish  net  is  most  suitable  for  the  minnow  and  polliwog 
net  shown  in  Fig.  2.  This  can  be  purchased  at  any  sporting  goods 
house.  The  net  should  be  slightly  less  in  depth  than  the  diameter  of 
the  net  so  that  it  can  readily  be  inverted  over  the  bucket  to  receive 
them. 

A  ring  of  wire  must  be  made  on.  which  to  fasten  the  net.  It  can 
be  fastened  to  a  ring  with  a  handle,  as  previously  described  for  the 
insect  net,  but  it  is  more  convenient  to  have  it  fastened  by  a  cord, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  By  a  cord,  the  net  can  be  lowered  into  the  water 
and  quickly  and  quietly  lifted  up,  whereas  the  wooden  handle  of  the 
net  is  liable  to  frighten  away  the  fish  and  polliwogs. 

1  Hodge,  Nalurc-StuJy  and  Life,  pp.  51-52. 


34 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


WINDMILLS  AND  VANES.  Windmills  admit  of  a  great  variety 
of  possibilities  in  construction  and  in  the  use  of  materials.  The  con- 
struction and  material  must  be  such  that  they  will  not  be  affected  by 
sun  or  rain.  The  propeller  (Fig.  1 )  involves  modeling  with  the  knife 
and  a  cross-lap  joint.  The  shaft  can  be  planed  up  octagonal  or  round, 
as  described  in  Figs.  4,  5  and  6  on  page  61,  and  the  vane  can  be  cut 
out  with  the  coping  saw. 

A  one-piece  propeller  with  but  two  projecting  blades  or  wings  can 
be  used  as  seen  in  the  photograph.  This  would  be  the  same  as  Fig.  2 
without  the  middle  groove  cut  out.  If  two  pieces  such  as  Fig.  2  are 
made  and  put  together  a  cross-lap  joint  construction  such  as  is  shown 
in  Fig.  1  will  be  the  result.  The  blades  should  be  marked  out  but 
not  whittled  until  the  cross-lap  joint  is  made  and  the  glue  dry.  Pro- 
pellers with  as  many  as  six  or  eight  blades  can  be  made,  but  the  cross- 
lap  joints  required  for  such  ones  are  very  difficult  to  make. 

The  hub  propellers  are  very  much  easier  to  make  than  those  just 
described.  They  can  be  made  with  any  number  of  wings.  Figure  5 
is  a  four-winged  propeller.  After  cutting  out  the  block  for  the  hub, 
saw  grooves  obliquely  into  each  edge  at  least  f  "  in  depth  and  just 
wide  enough  for  the  wings  to  fit.  Fig.  6  is  a  drawing  of  the  wing 
blade,  and  Fig.  7  is  a  drawing  of  the  hub.  Care  must  be  taken  that 
the  wings  are  not  forced  in,  else  the  hub  will  split.  If  six  or  eight  wings 
are  desired,  make  a  hexagonal  or  octagonal  hub  and  saw  grooves. 
The  grooves  should  have  the  same  slant  on  all  sides. 


WINDMILLS  AND  VANES 


35 


END  VIEW 


STOCK 

2.  WINGS  _  T-fe"    X  '/i." 
I    SHAFT  _  ^"  X.34."  *5  " 
5/i"  X.  J'fc"  *  8  " 


FIG.  2, 


I    UPRIGHT  _  Ve"OlAM.  X  4-  " 
FIG.  3 


END          31QEVJCW 


A  metal  propeller  can  be  made  very  much  more  readily  than  one 
of  wood.  The  metal  must  be  fairly  stiff  so  as  to  hold  itself  in  shape. 
Sheet  iron  about  No.  22  gage  "  American  Standard  "  is  very  desirable. 
The  simplest  two-blade  propeller  can  be  made  of  a  narrow  strip  of 


36  MANUAL  TRAINING  —  PLAY  PROBLEMS 

metal  with  the  ends  bent,  similar  to  the  propeller  first  suggested.  If 
four  blades  are  desired  two  strips  can  be  lapped,  but  unless  they  can 
be  soldered  it  is  much  more  convenient  to  use  a  round  disc  of  metal. 
Divide  the  disc  up  into  the  desired  number  of  parts ;  then  cut  on  the 
radial  lines  toward  the  center,  leaving  enough  metal  for  the  hub.  Bend 
all  the  blades  into  shape.  Figure  4  shows  the  front  and  side  views  of 
an  eight-blade  propeller  after  it  is  bent  into  shape. 

If  a  right-hand  movement  of  the  propeller  is  desired,  make  as 
shown  in  the  drawing.  Sometimes  a  double  windmill  is  made  as  can 
be  seen  in  the  center  of  the  photograph.  Two  propellers  are  used, 
one  right  handed  and  the  other  left  handed.  When  both  are  in  motion 
on  the  same  shaft,  a  peculiar  effect  is  produced  because  they  run  in 
opposite  directions  to  each  other. 

The  best  method  of  fastening  the  propeller  to  the  shaft  is  by  means 
of  a  round-headed  screw.  If  the  propeller  is  of  wood,  a  washer  should 
be  used  under  the  head  of  the  screw.  This  will  prevent  the  screw 
from  eating  its  way  into  the  wood.  A  washer  should  also  be  placed 
between  the  back  of  the  propeller  and  the  end  of  the  shaft.  The  screw 
hole  and  the  parts  that  rub  should  be  well  waxed  to  prevent  friction. 

A  number  of  methods  can  be  used  to  fasten  the  shaft  to  the 
upright,  the  most  common  of  which  is  by  means  of  a  round-headed 
screw  running  down  from  the  top  of  the  shaft  into  the  top  of  the 
upright.  This  arrangement  is  the  same  as  that  used  to  fasten  the 
propeller  to  the  shaft.  Just  at  what  point  to  fasten  the  upright  to 
the  shaft  cannot  be  determined  until  the  propeller  and  the  weather 
vane  are  fastened  in  place.  The  point  on  the  shaft  where  the  whole 
thing  balances  evenly  is  the  place  to  bore  the  hole  for  the  screw  into 
the  upright.  Another  method  of  fastening  the  shaft  to  the  upright 
is  that  suggested  in  Fig.  1 ,  where  the  round  end  of  the  upright  fits  into 
a  hole  bored  into  the  under  side  of  the  shaft.  In  each  case  the  upright 
can  be  fastened  to  the  top  of  a  post  or  nailed  to  the  side  of  the  house. 
Another  method  sometimes  used  is  to  fasten  the  shaft  securely  to  a 
round  upright  and  to  drop  the  end  of  it  into  a  round  hole. 

The  vane  can  be  cut  to  represent  almost  any  form  desired.  The 
greater  width  should  be  at  the  windward  end.  The  vane  can  be  made 


WINDMILLS  AND  VANES  37 

of  any  stiff  material  not  affected  by  the  rain.  A  thin  wood  is  satis- 
factory, but  light  sheet  metal  is  better.  To  fasten  it  in  place,  saw  a 
groove  in  the  end  of  the  shaft,  slip  the  vane  in  place,  and  nail  it  securely. 
The  windmill  and  vane  painted  in  bright  colors  adds  much  to  their 
attractiveness  as  well  as  durability. 

A  number  of  windmills  can  be  seen  in  the  photograph,  ranging 
from  the  pin  wheel  to  the  Mother  Hubbard  and  Happy  Jack  windmills. 
The  blades  of  Mother  Hubbard's  umbrella  are  sawed  out  with  the 
coping  saw  and  the  ends  whittled  round  and  inserted  in  round  holes 
bored  in  the  hub.  Mother  Hubbard  is  the  vane  and  revolves 
herself  around  the  dowel  which  goes  through  the  piece  on  which 
she  stands  and  rests  in  a  hole  bored  partially  through  the  piece 
just  above  it. 

The  Happy  Jack  windmill  has  the  extended  arms  fastened  together 
on  a  wire  which  freely  revolves  in  a  hole  bored  through  the  shoulders. 
The  blades  should  be  glued  in,  one  lengthwise  and  the  other  almost 
crosswise.  A  hole  is  bored  up  through  the  feet,  made  to  fit  a  nail 
hammered  up  through  the  block,  so  that  "  Happy  "  can  freely  spin 
around  on  this  upright  pivot. 

In  school  work  much  interest  and  enthusiasm  can  be  worked  up 
through  competition  in  the  construction  of  windmills  and  vanes. 
Among  the  older  pupils  awards  can  be  made  for  originality  of  con- 
struction, beauty  of  design,  and  durability.  For  the  younger  pupils 
a  simple  construction  can  be  determined  upon  and  original  designs 
for  the  outline  of  the  vanes  may  be  asked  for.  Definite  limitations  as 
to  maximum  and  minimum  sizes  should  be  given.  Have  the  designs 
cut  out  of  paper  with  the  scissors.  Definite  suggestions  as  to  appro- 
priate forms  such  as  birds  and  boats  should  be  given.  The  best  shape 
can  be  used,  or  each  one  may  use  his  own  design  provided  it  is  good. 

The  important  thing  is  to  see  that  the  windmills  work.  Test 
them  out;  see  that  they  work  properly.  Get  the  boys  to  put  them 
up.  Have  them  raised  on  poles,  or  put  on  the  top  of  barn  or  garage, 
where  they  can  be  a  constant  source  of  pleasure  to  the  makers.  Boys 
thoroughly  interested  in  this  problem  may  make  several  different 
kinds  and  put  them  up  as  in  competition  one  with  the  other. 


38 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


STRING  AND  WHISTLING  INSTRUMENTS.  All  of  the  prob- 
lems shown  in  the  photograph  were  made  by  young  children  in 
taking  up  the  study  of  sound.  The  zither,  suggested  by  Fig.  1  of  the 
drawing,  is  made  to  obtain  varying  tones.  Seven  tones  were  pro- 
duced by  means  of  seven  lengths  of  wire,  cord,  or  cat-gut  strings.  Any 
number  of  tones  can  be  produced  by  using  various  lengths. 

Another  method  of  getting  various  tones  is  by  having  the  strings 
the  same  length  and  varying  the  thickness  of  the  strings.  In  this 
case  the  box  can  be  made  rectangular.  Silk  thread  can  be  used. 
The  varying  thickness  of  strings  can  be  obtained  by  taking  the  desired 
number  of  threads,  and  twisting  them  together. 

To  make  the  instrument  suggested  by  Fig.  1,  first  make  the  box, 
fastening  it  together  with  glue  and  very  thin  brads.  Extreme  care 
must  be  used  in  putting  the  brads  in  this  thin  wood,  because  the  wood 
is  liable  to  split.  It  is  well  to  fasten  the  bridge  and  the  corner  piece 
to  the  top  before  putting  the  top  on  the  box.  When  two  or  three 
lengths  of  strings  only  are  used,  a  large  round  hole  or  several  small 
holes,  one  for  each  wire,  can  be  used.  This  is  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph. If  several  strings  are  used,  it  is  best  to  cut  the  hole  oval  in 
shape,  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1.  It  is  well  to  make  the  bridge  of  hard 
wood.  If  more  resonance  is  desired,  a  steel  wire  such  as  a  hat  pin 
can  be  embedded  in  the  top  edge  of  the  bridge.  This  is  shown  in  the 
drawing.  The  tuning  pegs,  used  to  keep  the  strings  taut,  can  be 
made ;  but  it  is  more  convenient  to  buy  them  at  a  music  store,  where 


STRING  AND  WHISTLING  INSTRUMENTS 


39 


STRING  AND  WHISTLING 


u 
SIDE.  VIEW  k       *~ 

STOCK  2.TOPS-6"   XXa"Xli"       I  BRIDGE  - 

I  END I •34"  X'?-4"X5">S"       I    SIDEL_  134"  X%'VxU"       I  CORNELR.  PlHCI:134'x36'> 

i  E.MD i3/4"x%"x6^"     i  sioe:_i%"r>%"Aa"    7  TURMIMG  PUGS  AND  wii^ns 

q:ii::rv:"::::"7 

—  9-lr—                 — «-,-»«-,r^,          EMD 
14" 1        views 

o   o   o~o 

STOCK  -I  BAMBOO  ABOUT  I4"LOMG  -    ^  CORKS          FIG.2. 
FIG. 3 

STOCK     I  BAMBOO  ABOUT  6" /-ONO 


they  can  be  obtained  at  little  cost.  If  the  pegs  are  made  by  hand,  be 
careful  that  a  long  taper  is  made,  otherwise  the  sudden  or  short  taper 
will  not  hold  in  firmly  and  is  liable  to  split  the  thin  wood. 

To  string  the  instrument,  first  fasten  the  ends  of  the  strings  to 


40  MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 

brads  located  at  one  end  of  the  box.  The  other  ends  of  strings  are 
passed  through  the  holes  in  the  tuning  pegs.  The  pegs  are  then  put 
in  position  and  wound  up  until  the  strings  are  taut.  The  drawing 
shows  one  of  the  pegs  only  in  position.  The  peg  is  tapered  so  that 
when  pushed  in  firmly,  it  will  not  slip  around  and  slacken  the  string. 
The  corner  piece  is  put  in  to  strengthen  the  wood  so  that,  when  the 
pegs  are  forced  in,  they  will  not  split  the  top  piece. 

A  much  simpler,  but  less  effective,  apparatus  can  be  made  by  using 
a  solid  block  of  wood  instead  of  the  box ;  and  nails  instead  of  the  tun- 
ing pegs,  the  wire  being  pulled  taut  and  then  tied  securely  to  the  nail. 

A  banjo  effect  can  be  produced  by  attaching  a  handle  to  a  cigar 
box,  as  shown  in  the  photograph.  The  end  of  the  handle  is  fastened 
to  the  inside  of  the  cigar  box  lid,  and  the  end  of  the  box  cut  away  so 
as  to  allow  the  lid  to  shut  down  tightly. 

Fig.  2  is  the  drawing  of  what  the  boys  please  to  call  a  "  Fife." 
The  one  shown  in  the  photograph  is  made  of  one  length  of  bamboo. 
One  end  is  plugged  up  tightly  with  a  cork  to  form  the  air  pocket.  If 
the  bamboo  is  cut  so  that  the  joint  comes  at  this  point,  the  cork  is  not 
needed.  The  opposite  end  must  have  a  plug  of  cork  or  wood  fitted  in 
it.  Before  fastening  this  plug  in  place,  cut  one  side  of  the  plug  flat, 
as  shown  by  the  end  views  of  Fig.  2.  This  plug  is  fastened  in  1|" 
or  less  from  the  end.  Next  cut  a  notch  in  the  bamboo  on  the  same  side 
as  the  flattened  part  of  the  plug.  Also  bevel  the  back  off,  as  shown 
in  the  drawing.  As  the  cutting  proceeds,  test  by  blowing.  Stop  cut- 
ting when  the  desired  tone  is  obtained.  By  varying  the  size  of  the 
opening,  the  notch,  and  the  chamber,  different  tones  will  result.  The 
small  holes  shown  in  the  top  near  one  end  are  intended  for  the  fingers. 

The  ordinary  whistle  is  made  in  the  same  way,  as  already  suggested 
by  Fig.  2,  except  that  the  chamber  is  made  very  much  shorter.  If 
bamboo  is  not  available,  a  piece  of  soft  wood  with  a  hole  bored  in  it 
can  be  used,  or  a  piece  of  willow  with  good  strong  bark  on  it  may  be 
used.  If  a  pea  or  other  round  substance  is  put  in  the  chamber  before 
fastening  in  the  plug,  a  peculiar  vibrating  tone  is  obtained. 

A  "  humming  bird  "  is  suggested  by  Fig.  3.  A  piece  of  bamboo 
is  cut  off  at  the  joints,  or  the  ends  are  plugged  up  with  corks.  Long, 


STRING  AND  WHISTLING  INSTRUMENTS  41 

narrow  slits  are  cut  in  two  sides,  and  a  string  is  fastened  to  one  end,  as 
can  be  seen  in  the  photograph.  When  this  is  swung  around  in  the  air 
rapidly,  a  peculiar  whistle  or  humming  sound  is  produced.  The  tone 
will  vary  according  to  the  size  of  the  chamber  and  the  open  slits. 

From  such  crude  beginnings  boys  and  girls  have  been  led  to  make 
instruments  of  value.  For  high  school  students  ukuleles,  zithers,  and 
banjos  can  be  worked  out,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  below. 

The  best  plan  is  to  obtain  an  instrument  of  simple  strong  con- 
struction and  use  it  as  a  model  to  pattern  after.  Thin  mahogany  ve- 
neer for  the  box  part  or  other  hard  resonant  wood  can  be  obtained 
from  the  mill.  The  piece  for  the  sides  is  thoroughly  steamed  or  soaked 
in  hot  water  and  then  clamped  into  the  curved  shape  between  two 
pieces  of  wood,  one  the  exact  shape  of  the  inside  of  the  box  part 
and  the  other  the  outside  shape  of  the  box.  This  outer  piece  must, 
of  course,  be  in  two  parts  split  down  the  center.  After  the  wood  is 
thoroughly  dry,  the  clamps  can  be  removed  and  the  piece  will  retain 
the  shape  into  which  it  has  been  pressed. 

Pieces  about  J"  X  i"  must  be  glued  securely  to  the  top  and  bot- 
tom all  round  the  inside  corners  so  as  to  keep  it  from  warping.  Fasten 
securely  the  top  and  bottom  to  the  sides.  Nails  must  not  be  used. 
The  opening  must  be  cut,  and  the  corner  pieces  and  bridge  must  be 
fastened  in  place  before  putting  together. 

An  ingenious  instrument  is  made  thus :  Fasten  a  fine  wire  or  guitar 
string  lengthwise  to  a  board.  Put  a  strip  of  wood  at  each  end  to  ele- 
vate the  wire  about  £".  Stretch  it  taut  with  a  tuning  peg.  To  play 
on  it,  take  a  cigar  box  with  lid  or  one  end  removed.  Rub  the  open 
edge  of  the  box  on  the  string.  Rosin  will  help.  With  a  little  prac- 
tice interesting  and  amusing  effects  can  be  produced. 


Ukulele  made  by  High  School  Student 


42 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SWINGS.  For  the  construction  of  swings  hard  wood  is  prefer- 
able. The  child's  swing,  Fig.  1,  is  for  young  children.  If  less  work 
is  desired  all  the  strips  can  be  made  straight  instead  of  curved. 

The  holes  in  all  the  pieces  should  be  slightly  larger  than  the  diameter 

of  the  rope  used.  With  f "  rope 
the  holes  should  be^M  in  diameter. 
Notice  that  the  holes  in  all  of  the 
pieces  (Figs.  2, 3, 4  and  5)  aref "  from 
the  ends,  while  from  the  sides  they 
This  is  done  to  obtain 


are 


butj". 


equal  strength  all  around,  the  short 
grain  at  the  ends  being  weaker  than 
the  grain  at  the  sides.  The  work 
should  first  be  laid  off  and  the  holes 
bored  (fasten  in  the  vise  while  boring 
the  holes  to  prevent  splitting)  before 
cutting  to  the  outline.  After  the 
bottom  or  seat  piece  is  laid  off,  test 
to  see  if  it  is  square  by  measuring 
from  corner  to  corner.  The  length 
of  the  two  diagonals  should  be  ex- 
actly the  same.  Next,  lay  back, 
front,  and  side  strips  on  the  seat  piece 
to  see  if  the  holes  and  outlines  match 
up.  The  holes  can  be  bored  and  the 
outline  drawn  with  these  pieces  thus 
in  place.  The  uprights  are  made 
from  a  piece  of  bamboo.  If  this  bam- 
boo is  not  at  hand,  use  cotton  spools  ; 
or  use  straight  grained  soft  wood. 

Select  a  piece  about  1"  square,  saw  four  pieces  off  the  proper  length, 

bore  a  ^"  hole  through  them  lengthwise,  and  then  round  them  up. 
When  setting  up  the  swing,  the  rope  should  be  knotted  as  shown 

in  Fig.  1,  or  slipped  all  the  way  across  as  in  Fig.  7.    When  knotted 

it  will  always  remain  level  if  properly  set. 


SWINGS 


43 


SWINGS 


FIG. 


"  ROPE: 


FRONT  VIEW 


$ 


FIG.  2, 


BOTTOM 


FIG.  3 


-14- 


^ 


BACK 
FIG.4- 


•14- 


FRONT 


UPRIGMT5 


FIG.  S 


SIDE: 


4-  UPRIGHTS. 
I    BOTTOM- 

I    BACK 

I    FRONT 


_l"  D1AM  X5>V' 
JO"  X%"  XI4/i" 
.  1 56"  X  ^e>"  X  14  " 

.1  VOr"  A  3/&"   X    14-  " 


SEATTOR  RQPE.SWIMG 


Fig.  7  is  a  seat  for  the  ordinary  rope  swing.  Batten  pieces  should 
be  fastened  underneath  across  each  end.  The  sharp  corners  of  the 
wood  should  be  rounded  off  wherever  the  rope  touches  it,  to  prevent 
cutting  the  rope. 


44 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


MAP  AND  POST  CARD  PICTURE  PUZZLES.  The  educa- 
tional advantage  of  this  puzzle  lies  in  its  possible  correlation  with 
geography  and  history.  The  sawed  lines  can  be  the  boundary  lines 
of  states  and  counties  or  townships,  or  the  pieces  can  be  sawed  so  that 
one  or  more  cities  may  be  located  on  each  piece. 

Before  making  the  frame,  paste  or  glue  the  picture  securely  to  a 
thin  board  not  more  than  |"  in  thickness.  While  drying  press  it  flat. 

The  frame  to  hold  a  post  card  3|"  X  5|"  is  shown  in  Fig.  1.  The 
bottom  of  the  frame  should  be  about  |"  larger  all  around  than  the  card ; 
for  instance,  the  bottom  piece  of  Fig.  2  must  be. 4^"  X  6|",  thus  al- 
lowing ^"  for  width  of  rim  all  the  way  around  the  frame.  After 
making  the  bottom  piece,  cut  out  the  strips  for  the  rim,  which  should 
be  the  same  thickness  as  the  piece  upon  which  the  card  is  mounted. 

To  assemble  the  parts,  first  glue  and  nail  one  side  and  one  end 
strip  to  the  bottom  piece ;  then  slip  the  card  into  place ;  and  next 
nail  the  other  side  and  end  strips  on  the  bottom  piece.  Use  nails 
long  enough  so  that  they  can  be  clinched.  With  the  larger  frames 
battens  are  necessary  to  keep  the  bottom  piece  from  warping. 

Unless  the  state  or  county  boundaries  are  to  be  followed,  care  should 
be  used  so  as  to  avoid  short  grain,  so  that  the  projections  cannot  easily 
be  broken  off.  For  directions  in  the  use  of  the  coping  saw  see  page  xxiv. 

The  post  card  box  (Fig.  2)  is  the  type  of  box  construction  in  which 
the  butt  joint  is  used.  In  a  box  construction  the  sides  of  the  box 
should  always  be  the  entire  outside  height  and  the  entire  outside 


MAP  AND  POST  CARD  PICTURE  PUZZLES 


45 


MAP  AP1D  POST-CARD  PICTURE  PUZZLE! 


FIG.  I 


1  

1  1 

MAP  OR  POSTCARD  TO  BE!  SAWED. 

IfiTO  SHALL  PIECES 

TOP  VIEW 

1  

1 

r  1  " 

,-' 

c 

°l 

"1      i* 

1 

I 

Y/7/77A 

STOCK 

I    BOTTOM 4./z."x 


SIDE:  VIEW 


2.  O1DSTRIPS_>1"X 
2.  SIDELSTRIP3_/?."X 
2.  BfVTTElNa  _  Vi."  X 
SCALE. 


W 


POST  CARD  BOX 

STOCK 


2.  SIDE.S  _  2." 


SCALt 


length;  the  bottom  piece  should  be  the  inside  width  and  the  inside 
length ;  and  the  ends  should  be  the  entire  outside  height  and  the  inside 
length  of  the  box.  The  bottom  always  fits  inside,  and  the  end  pieces 
fit  in  between  the  side  pieces. 


46 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


PRINT  FRAMES.  Printing  frames  can  serve  a  variety  of  pur- 
poses, especially  in  connection  with  shop  work,  nature-study  work, 
and  photography.  The  frame  shown  in  the  photograph  contains 
prints  of  leaves  used  in  making  a  collection  of  leaf  prints.  The  frames 
in  Figs.  1  and  3  are  designed  for  5"  X  7"  print  paper.  The  inside  of  the 
frame  should  be  at  least  f  "  larger  each  way  than  the  paper  to  be  used. 
If  larger  frames  are  made,  the  material  should  be  proportionately 
heavier,  and  the  back  should  be  made  of  two  pieces  hinged  in  the 
middle  with  a  batten  fastened  to  each  piece.  The  middle  frame  in 
the  photograph  shows  the  back  in  position  with  the  rubber  band 
holding  it  in  place.  If  desired  a  piece  of  spring  steel  in  place  of  the 
rubber  band  can  be  used  for  the  larger  frames.  Fasten  the  strip  of 
steel  to  the  top  edge  of  the  batten,  and  adjust  so  that  the  ends  will 
slip  under  the  head  of  round-headed  screws  or  slits  made  in  the  edge 
of  the  frame. 

The  simplest  construction  for  the  frame  is  made  by  simply  nail- 
ing the  several  pieces  together  as  shown  in  the  center  of  the  above 
photograph  and  in  Fig.  1 .  If  nails  which  are  slightly  longer  than  the 
thickness  of  the  frame  are  used,  the  ends  can  be  turned  and  clinched. 
This  fastens  the  two  strips  securely  together. 

If  advanced  technique  is  desired,  any  one  of  a  number  of  joints 
can  be  used  in  putting  the  frames  together.  The  simplest  joint  is  the 
end  lap  joint  as  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Glue  and  screws,  or  nails  clinched, 
should  be  used  to  secure  a  strong  joint.  With  the  large  frames  a  piece 


PRINT  FRAMES 


47 


PRINT  FRAMES 

FIG.I 


-7-8- 


TOP  VIEW 


view 


SIDE.  VIE:W 
STOCK 

2.  FROMT  ENDS |"     X 

X  BACK  ELM 05 H"    * 

2.  FRONT  SIDES I"    * 

£   BACKSIDES 94"    *•    9fc"     X  7/£ 

I    BACI\ J"     Xs    3/a"    XY" 

I    BATT&ri /&!'    X 

I   GLPiSS 5"    X     7" 

I    RU5BE.R  BAND 

FIG.  3 


35 

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18 

rs 

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a 

TOP  VIEW 

-lojcO 

>XJD 


*S: 


«i- 


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FIG 


TOPVIE.W 


SIDE. 
VIEW 


STOCK 

2.  C«DS_%"x  &'  Xs  6 
2.  6IOES_%"yx  >i"  X  8% 
5flCN_5"yv  %"X  7" 
1    B/VITEJI.l 


of  felt  is  usually  used.  This  is  placed  next  to  the  paper  so  as  to  hold 
the  paper  firmly  against  the  tracing  or  negative.  The  felt  is  some- 
what expensive.  If  it  cannot  be  used  a  piece  of  cardboard  or  heavy 
cloth  or  paper  will  take  its  place  very  satisfactorily. 


48 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SCISSORS  AND  DANCING  JACKS.  The  scissors  jack  (Fig.  1) 
is  put  together  by  first  marking  the  position  of  the  nail  holes  and 
starting  the  nails ;  and  then  by  laying  all  the  pieces  down  in  position, 
and  driving  in  the  nails.  Be  sure  the  ends  line  up  evenly  as  shown  in 

the  drawing.  The  nails  should  be 
f"  long,  that  is,  long  enough  for  the 
point  to  go  through  and  to  be 
turned  over  and  clinched.  Care 
must  be  taken  in  driving  the  nails 
in  lest  they  split  the  wood  at  the 
ends.  Reject  all  pieces  that  start 
to  split.  If  considerable  care  is 
used  holes  can  be  bored  in  the  foot 
pieces  without  splitting.  These 
holes  can  be  used  in  which  to  insert 
the  thumb  and  finger.  Any  even 
number  of  body  pieces  can  be  used. 
The  ones  in  the  photograph  show 
four  only,  while  six  are  shown  in 
the  drawing.  If  desired  the  jacks  can 
be  clothed  with  a  flowing  robe,  and 
a  facial  expression  can  be  painted 
as  suggested  in  the  photograph. 

The  string  jack  (Fig.  3)  shows 
a  very  simple  modification  of  out- 
line. The  shape  of  the  parts  of  the 
body  are  produced  by  a  few  notches. 
Fig.  3  shows  a  view  with  the  front 
body  piece  removed  so  as  to  make 
the  arrangement  of  the  parts  clear. 

The  position  of  the  arms  and  legs  shows  the  strings  pulled  down 
until  the  arms  and  legs  are  in  a  horizontal  position.  The  strings 
can  be  fastened  to  the  ends  of  the  arms  and  legs  through  holes 
as  suggested,  or  to  nails  fastened  in  the  ends  of  the  pieces.  Follow 
the  directions  for  fastening  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1. 


SCISSORS  AND  DANCING  JACKS 


49 


JACKS 


no.  i 


STOCK 

BODY 

CLOTHESPIN 
ARMS 


LEGS 
"  X  Jt" 


SCISSORS  JACK 
STOCK 

i  SHOULDE:RS_<y4"  \  Y4  X  2.%- 

I    HELPED *."    Xx  Y4' 

6   BODY. 
UE.GS 


6CAUE. 


CLOTHESPIN  J/VGK 


STRING 
6TO 

I  HCAb !•%."  x  ^  X6V 


FRonT  VIEW  WITH 
BODY  PIECE.  RE.MOVEP 


If  desired  the  jack  can  be  dressed  and  facial  expressions  added. 
The  clothespin  jack  (Fig.  2)  is  a  clothespin  cut  off  at  the  end  and  arms 
and  legs  added.  If  the  nails  are  put  in  so  that  the  legs  do  not  swing 
too  freely,  a  number  of  postures  can  be  secured. 


50 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


CLIMBING  AND  JUMPING  JACKS.  The  climbing  jack  as 
shown  in  the  drawing  is  made  by  fastening  the  arm  to  the  body  in  a 
position  slightly  above  the  horizontal.  The  cardboard  in  the  palm 
of  the  hand  should  not  be  fastened  down  too  tightly.  The  string 
should  slip  between  the  cardboard  and  the  wood  with  a  little  friction. 
The  staple  or  double  pointed  tacks  should  be  small.  The  one  in  the 
hand  should  be  driven  in  lengthwise  with  the  arm  while  the  two  in 
the  leg  should  run  crosswise.  The  leg  should  swing  freely.  When  the 
string  is  loose,  the  rubber  band  should  pull  the  leg  up  about  as  shown 
in  Fig.  1.  When  the  string  is  pulled  taut  as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  the 
position  of  the  twb  staples  in  the  leg  holds  the  string  at  this  point, 
while  the  string  at  the  top  easily  slips  down  through  the  cardboard 
and  the  wood  of  the  hand,  or  as  it  appears  the  hand  slips  up  the  string. 
This  position  is  shown  in  Fig.  2.  When  the  string  is  slackened  and 
the  rubber  band  pulls  the  leg  up,  the  friction  of  the  cardboard  against 
the  wood  of  the  hand  should  hold  the  string  tight  while  the  changed 
position  of  the  staples  in  the  leg  allows  the  string  to  slip  up  freely  from 
below.  If  upon  relaxing  the  string,  it  should  slip  through  the  hand, 
the  cardboard  should  be  fastened  to  the  wood  a  little  more  firmly. 
If  the  rubber  band  will  not  allow  the  leg  to  straighten  down  enough, 
get  a  longer  band  or  move  down  the  nail  which  holds  it  on  the  body. 
This  jack  should  climb  about  5"  with  each  pull  of  the  string. 

The  jumping  jack  (Fig.  3)  is  made  by  taking  a  block  of  wood  for 
the  body  and  head,  and  having  the  arms  and  legs  pivot  freely.  Strings 


CLIMBING  AND  JUMPING  JACKS 


51 


JACKS 


FIG.  I 


FIG.2.. 


STOCK 

I  BODY 

Z/WI5  %." 

1LE.GS  a/4'Xv!^'  A  5" 


SIDE:  VIEW 


fastened  to  the  extremities  of  the  parts  are  brought  together  and  fas- 
tened a  short  distance  above  the  head  to  a  light  rubber  band  which 
is  suspended  from  a  nail  at  the  top  of  the  head.  Jerking  the  end  of 
the  rubber  band  causes  the  projecting  parts  to  move  up  and  down. 


52 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


GYMNASTIC  AND  POLE  JACK.  The  pole  jack  (Fig.  1)  is  a 
simple  construction.  The  action  is  shown  in  the  photograph,  the 
lower  one  with  the  handle  down  and  the  upper  one  with  the  handle 
up.  The  top  part  of  the  pole  should  be  slightly  thinner  than  the 

handle  or  bottom  part. 

The  gymnast  jack  (Fig.  2)  is  also 
of  simple  construction  in  which  all 
the  joints  must  work  freely.  If  more 
advanced  technique  is  desired,  the 
body  may  be  made  of  a  heavier 
piece.  The  one  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph is  made  of  a  piece  f"  square. 
The  joints  may  be  similar  in  con- 
struction to  that  of  the  dolls  on  page 
139.  The  uprights  can  be  nailed  to 
the  crosspiece,  but  the  continual 
strain  on  the  uprights  soon  pulls  the 
nails  loose.  A  slim  wire  finishing  nail 
or  brad  running  through  the  several 
pieces,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  should 
be  used.  The  top  part  should  be 
threaded  with  a  piece  of  strong  cord 
or  thread  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  By 
pushing  the  handles  of  the  upright 
in  and  out,  vibrations  are  produced 
upon  the  string.  This  causes  the 
figure  to  swing  back  and  forth  and 
over  the  cord. 

A  dancing  or  clogging  jack  can  be 
made  with  parts  of  a  broomstick  for 

the  body,  a  spool  for  the  head,  and  bamboo  or  a  small  rod  for  the  legs 
and  arms.  The  ends  of  a  spool  can  be  shaped  up  for  the  feet.  This 
jack  must  be  made  up  with  as  many  joints  as  possible.  Bore  a  hole 
through  the  body ;  then  fasten  a  string  to  the  top  of  the  feet  and  up 
through  the  legs,  body,  and  out  at  the  head.  If  it  is  not  convenient 


GYMNASTIC  AND  POLE  JACK 


53 


TOP  VIELW  WITH  CAP  Off 


JACKS 

SCALE. 


DftCK 
VIEW 


51 DE  VIEW 
BOTTOM  VIE.W 


i  •  i 
-z.- 


STOCK  FOR  POLE  JACK 


V»4-" 


I  BODY— 


FIG.* 


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STOCK  FOR  GYMNAST  J^CK 

I  UPRIGHT %"  X  /£'  X  lit" 

I  Cf\OSSPIE£E.?6    X  i^."  Klfc" 
I  600Y I  "    X  %"  XO^." 


A  THIGHS^ 
2.  CAL.VELS. 


to  bore  the  holes,  tie  the  joints  together  with  string.  To  work  the 
jack  suspend  so  that  the  feet  will  rest  lightly  on  a  thin  board  such  as  a 
shingle  projecting  over  the  edge  of  a  table  which  when  tapped  lightly 
will  vibrate  and  cause  the  jack  to  clog  in  great  style. 


54 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


LEVER  MOVEMENTS.  The  lever  movement  in  a  variety  of 
forms  is  suggested  in  the  drawing  and  the  photograph.  In  Fig.  1 
of  the  drawing  is  shown  the  "  blacksmith  clothespin  boys."  The 
anvil  is  made  by  sawing  off  the  top  of  one  clothespin.  The  arm  can 
be  made  of  a  brad,  a  piece  of  wire,  a  match,  or  a  small  dowel.  The 
proper  fastening  of  the  arm  is  difficult.  Secure  the  arm  to  the  hammer 
before  sawing  away  the  clothespin,  as  it  is  easier  to  handle  and  is  less 
liable  to  split.  The  arm  piece  should  be  fastened  to  the  hammer 
straight  in,  at  right  angles.  The  arm  is  fastened  into  the  body  slant- 
ing upwards.  The  parallel  strips  should  not  fit  too  tightly  in  the 
slots  of  the  clothespin,  else  they  will  not  work  back  and  forth  easily. 

In  assembling  the  parts,  first  nail  the  anvil  securely  to  the  center 
of  one  of  the  strips.  Next,  adjust  the  "  boys  "  and  fasten  them,  one 
on  each  side  of  this  strip  with  nails  to  make  the  pivots  so  that  the 
hammer  will  strike  the  anvil  directly  on  top.  With  the  clothespins 
in  an  upright  position  and  the  parallels  at  right  angles  to  them  the 
desired  distance  apart,  drive  in  the  two  lower  pivot  nails,  which  should 
be  long  enough  to  allow  the  points  to  be  bent  over. 

The  heavy  lines  in  the  drawing  show  the  position  of  the  parts  as 
they  should  be  when  fastening  in  the  nails.  The  dotted  lines  show 
the  position  when  the  lower  strip  is  shifted  over,  the  right  "  boy  " 
with  hammer  down  on  the  anvil,  and  the  left  "  boy"  with  hammer  up- 
raised. Should  the  hammers  be  out  of  line  adjust  by  bending  the 
arm,  if  the  arms  are  made  of  wire ;  but  if  of  wood  this  is  hardly  possible. 


LEVER  MOVEMENTS 


55 


LEVER  MOVEMENTS 


SIDE 
VIEW 


STOCK  FOR  BLACKSMITH  BOYS^_4  CLOTHES PIM5  -i 

SCALE! 


HG.2. 


STOCK  FOR  CHICK  WITH  WORM 

Z.  PARftL.LE.LS yj,"  X  >fc"  X  10" 

2.  CHICKS *•  "  *  >fc"  A  3 ' 

I  RUBBER BftND 


STOCK  FOR  WRESTLERS  SCALE 

2.  P/MW-LULS >i"X>6"X/Q"  n  | '  I'  " 

2.  BODIES l^."x->t"A6M  \ 

I  &"  x  Xa"  x  3>i"  z 


The  "  chicks  with  worm  "  and  the  "  wrestlers"  (Figs.  2  and  3) 
operate  similarly  to  the  "  blacksmith  boys,"  but  are  not  as  difficult 
to  assemble.  When  driving  the  pivot  nails  in,  the  strips  should  always 
be  parallel  and  the  upright  pieces  should  be  in  an  upright  position. 


56 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


KNIVES  AND  DAGGERS.  Knives  can  be  made  in  a  number  of 
ways,  depending  on  the  use  to  which  they  are  put.  When  carefully 
planned,  they  are  excellent  manual  training  problems. 

The  knife  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1  is  made  of  two  pieces,  the  handle 
and  blade  being  separate.  In  one  end  of  the  handle,  a  slot  is  cut  to 
admit  the  blade.  Before  gluing  this  firmly  in  position,  the  handle 
and  blade  should  be  modeled  to  the  desired  shape.  Lines  for  the  out- 
line of  the  curves  should  be  drawn,  and  these  should  be  followed  care- 
fully if  a  good  shape  is  to  be  expected.  The  knife  suggested  in  Fig.  1 
can  be  used  as  a  dagger.  If  a  hilt  is  desired  it  should  be  cut  out  of 
sheet  metal  or  thin  wood  and  fastened  on  as  suggested  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  fencing  rods  shown  on  page  63. 

Figs.  2  and  3  serve  excellently  as  paper  cutters  or  envelope 
openers.  Fig.  3  suggests  chamfer  modeling  and  Fig.  2  suggests  round 
modeling.  To  get  a  good  round  shape,  the  wood  should  be  worked 
to  an  octagonal  or  eight-sided  figure  as  suggested  on  page  61. 

Fig.  4  represents  a  dagger.  A  case  can  be  made  of  cloth  or 
leather.  The  handles  and  blades  painted  in  contrasting  colors,  bronze 
for  the  handle  and  silver  for  the  blades,  is  very  effective. 

Knives  for  paper  cutting  and  letter  opening  can  be  made  from 
sheet  brass  or  copper.  A  pleasing  pattern  for  the  outline  should  first 
be  cut  out  of  paper  and  traced  on  the  metal  with  a  sharp  pointed 
instrument.  If  the  metal  is  thin  the  outline  can  be  cut  with  tinners' 
shears,  and  if  thick  with  a  metal  saw.  When  purchased  the  metal  is 


KNIVES  AND  DAGGERS 


57 


KMIVES  -  DAGGERS 

SCALE. 


SIDE.  VIEW 


[ 

*  CROSS-SECTION  OFBLAOE1 

1  *- 

FIG.  I 


FIG.X. 


STOCK I  HANDLE! I"  X  #&"X  3" I  BLADE!  _l" 


CDGt  VIEW 


SIDE:  VIEW 


FIG.  3    fc= 


v^        g 

A 

^                     W                

J 

—                 —  i»:  > 

EDGEl  VIE.V/ 

soft.  It  should  be  hardened  by  repeated  hammering  over  the  whole 
surface  while  resting  on  a  piece  of  hard  wood  or  metal.  The  edge 
should  be  beveled  by  hammering  and  then  further  sharpened  with  a 
file  or  on  a  grindstone.  It  can  be  polished  with  emery  cloth. 


58 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


TIP  CAT  OR  PEGGY.  The  simplest  "  cat  "  can  be  made  of  a 
piece  of  broom  handle,  5"  or  6"  long.  A  half  dozen  types  of 
"  catties "  are  herewith  suggested.  If  the  numbers  are  to  be  dis- 
pensed with,  the  hexagonal  and  round  ones  present  excellent  problems  in 
modeling.  The  corners  of  the  square  ones  should  be  rounded  freely, 
else  the  continued  hard  hitting  will  soon  nick  up  the  edges  and  make 
them  look  badly.  Lay  out  the  figures  before  cutting  the  taper.  This 
will  insure  a  working  edge  from  which  to  square  the  lines  across. 

The  game  is  played  as  follows :  "  One  player  stands  within  a  circle, 
and  with  stick  or  bat  of  convenient  size  strikes  the  cat  on  the  end, 
making  it  fly  into  the  air.  Before  it  falls  to  the  ground  the  batter 
knocks  it  as  far  as  he  can.  If  the  cat  falls  within  the  circle,  the  batter 
is  out  and  another  takes  his  place.  If  the  batter  makes  a  fair  knock, 
he  guesses  how  many  bat  lengths  he  has  sent  the  cat,  that  number 
being  added  to  his  score.  However,  if  his  guess  is  too  high,  as  shown 
upon  measurement,  he  is  out.  The  one  having  the  highest  score 
after  a  certain  number  of  rounds,  wins.  The  game  may  be  greatly 
varied.  Sometimes  the  batter  measures  the  distance  by  jumps ;  some- 
times sides  are  chosen.  In  the  latter  case  as  many  holes  are  made  as 
there  are  players  on  each  side.  These  holes  are  made  equally  distant 
apart  and  in  the  form  of  a  circle.  One  side  takes  position,  one  player 
at  each  hole,  the  other  side  forming  outside  the  circle.  One  player 
"  tips  "  the  cat  from  his  hole  and  all  run,  the  object  being  for  each 
player  to  get  to  the  next  hole  before  the  other  side  can  return  the  cat 


TIP  CAT  OR  PEGGY 


59 


between  any  two  holes.  If  this  is  successfully  done,  the  side  at  the 
bat  scores  a  run ;  if  not,  the  side  is  out.  The  side  scoring  the  greatest 
number  of  runs,  wins."  l 

1  G.  E.  Johnson,  Education  Through  Plays  and  Games,  pp.  173—174. 


60 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


PEGGY  BATS.  The  peggy  bats  should  not  be  made  of  soft  wood 
but  an  inexpensive  hard  wood  should  be  used,  such  as  pine  or  oak, 
because  of  the  hard  usage  it  is  bound  to  receive.  For  the  same 
reason  the  sharpness  of  all  square  corners  should  be  well  rounded 
off.  Eighteen  inches  of  broom  handle  is  a  favorite  bat  for  boys. 

For  the  manual  training  man 
who  is  looking  for  a  series  of  tool 
exercises  in  round  modeling  and 
chamfering,  the  bat  as  suggested 
in  Fig.  8  has  been  found  to  be 
most  excellent.  Figs.  4,  5,  and  6 
illustrate  the  method  used  to  model 
the  handle  from  the  square  to  the 
round.  To  do  this  first  lay  out  the 
octagonal  shape.  Gage  the  lines  from 
the  edges  a  little  more  than  one- 
quarter  the  diameter.  In  this  case 
where  the  thickness  is  •§•"  the  distance 
should  be  a  full  ^".  After  gaging 
cut  to  the  lines  as  Fig.  4.  Next,  make 
1 6  sides  as  Fig.  5.  With  large  work  it 
is  best  to  layout  all  the  lines,  but  with 
the  smaller  pieces  it  is  simply  neces- 
sary to  plane  off  the  eight  edges  and 
thus  make  the  16  equal  sides.  It  is 
then  a  simple  matter  to  plane  off 
these  16  edges,  making  32  sides,  and 
round  up  with  sand  paper  as  Fig.  6. 
For  chamfered  edges  such  as  at 
the  end  of  the  bat,  do  not  make  the 
lines  with  the  marking  gage,  since  the 

knife  marks  remain  in  the  wood ;  but  use  the  thumb  gage  by  holding 
the  pencil  between  thumb  and  finger,  using  the  finger  as  a  stop  against 
the  work  and  letting  the  pencil  point  project  the  desired  distance.  A 
little  practice  makes  this  a  very  desirable  method. 


PEGGY  BATS 


61 


Fig.  8  is  the  type  of  bat  which  meets  with  universal  favor  by 
the  boys.  For  the  younger  boys  and  the  ones  for  whom  the 
making  of  this  is  too  advanced,  make  the  paddles  as  shown  in 
Figs.  1  and  2. 


62 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


FENCING  RODS.     Figs.  1  and  2  are  suggestions  of  fencing  rods 
in  which  round  rods  or  dowels  are  used  for  the  blades.     If  dowels 
are  not  available,  the  blades  can  readily  be  made  from  square  or 
rectangular  shaped  sticks.     The  wood  for  the  blades  must  be  per- 
fectly straight  grained.    They  should 
be  shaped  up  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 
In  Fig.  1  the  blade  tapers  from  ^"di- 
ameter at  the  handle  to  j"  diameter 
at  the  point.     The  blade  of  Fig.  2  is 
tapered  in  thickness  only,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  4,  from  |"  at  the  handle  end 
to  -5^-"   at  the  point.     The  points 
should  be  rounded,  but  not  sharp- 
ened. 

In  Fig.  1  a  round  rod  is  used  for 
the  handle.  In  Fig.  2  the  handle 
is  made  from  a  rectangular  piece 
as  shown  by  Fig.  3.  The  sharp 
corners  can  be  sandpapered  off. 
Bore  a  hole  into  the  end  of  the 
handle  about  1"  in  depth  so  that 
the  end  of  the  blade  will  fit  snugly. 
Also  bore  a  hole  the  same  size  in 
the  center  of  the  guards. 

To  assemble  the  fencing  rod,  first 
slip  the  guard  over  the  end  of  the 
blade;  then,  after  applying  glue  to 
the  parts,  slip  the  blade  into  the 
hole  in  the  handle.  Be  careful  that 
this  hole  is  perfectly  straight  so  that 
the  handle  and  blade  will  line  up  together.  Brad  the  parts  together 
and  let  them  dry  thoroughly  before  using  them. 

Of  the  middle  pair  of  rods  in  the  photograph,  the  blades  are  made 
from  rectangular  pieces  shaped  up  as  shown  in  Fig.  4.  The  other 
pairs  of  rods  have  been  made  from  dowels,  one  with  wooden  guards 


FENCING  RODS 


63 


FENCING  RODS 


TOP  VIEW 


TOP  VIEW 


SCALE 


FIG. I 


FlG.iL 


I   HANDLE. 1 3/6"  X  H"  X  5" 

I    BLADE J/i"DlAn.  7x43" 

I   GUARD-  METAL  _4>z."DlAN- 


5TOCK 


STOCK 

I  HANDLE I"  DIAM  Xv  .5  " 

t  BLADE. Xi"DIAM  X4-5" 

I  GUARD 4/z."X  3/a"X4>i1 


MODELLING  Of  HflMDLE 

FIG.  a 


EMD  OF  BLADE 


END  OF  BLftDEl 


and  the  other  with  metal  guards.  The  guards  that  are  shown  in  use 
in  the  other  photograph  on  page  xxiv  have  been  found  to  be  very 
serviceable.  These  rods  are  made  of  bamboo.  The  large  end  of  the 
bamboo  is  used  for  the  handle  and  the  smaller  part  for  blades. 


64 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


ROQUE  OR  CROQUET  GAME.  To  play  the  game  herewith 
shown,  place  at  the  stake  a  perfectly  round  ball.  A  large  size  grain 
of  shot  is  very  satisfactory.  Size  No.  BB  is  small  enough  to  readily 
go  through  the  arches.  Holding  the  game  board  on  the  palm  of  the 
hand,  tilt  it  so  that  the.  ball  will  go  through  the  arches  in  the  order 
marked  in  Fig.  1 .  Should  the  ball  roll  into  or  beyond  the  boundary 
groove  or  gutter,  the  next  player  must  take  his  turn.  When  the  first 
player's  turn  comes  again,  he  must  start  the  ball  from  the  point  where 
it  rolled  outside  the  boundary.  The  object  of  the  game  is  to  pass 
through  all  the  arches  and  finish  by  hitting  the  post  at  the  starting 
point.  Fig.  1  represents  the  usual  arrangement  of  the  arches  in 
croquet.  Fig.  2  represents  a  plan  of  the  official  roque  game  drawn 
to  scale.  The  exact  plan  and  description  of  the  courts  are  shown  in 
the  Roque  Guide  of  the  Spalding's  Athletic  Library,  published  by  the 
American  Sports  Publishing  Co.,  New  York  (price  10  cents). 

This  game  board  as  a  manual  training  problem  admits  of  line 
carving  with  and  across  the  grain.  In  Fig.  1,  f"  holes  are  bored  in 
the  corners  and  by  means  of  a  gouge  these  are  connected  with  a  groove. 
If  this  groove  is  large  enough  to  hold  the  ball  the  outside  rim  or  stop 
may  be  dispensed  with,  but  it  will  be  found  that  this  rim  used  as  an 
extra  precaution  saves  the  ball  from  falling  off  to  the  floor.  The  cor- 
ners of  the  outside  rim  can  be  mitered.  The  top  surface  of  the  board 
should  be  smooth.  Double  pointed  tacks  can  be  used  for  the  arches. 
The  crokinole  and  carrom  boards  as  shown  above  were  quickly 


ROQUE  OR  CROQUET  GAME 


65 


HH£ 

SECTION 
ftTft-B 


ftOQUE  GAME 

SCALE 


I  BOTTOH 


and  easily  made  one-half  the  regulation  size.  Although  more  difficult 

it  is  better  to  make  them  full  size,  which  is  about  30".     If  possible 

go  to  the  store  and  get  exact  measurements.  The  game  disc  is  about 
f "  high  and  the  outside  rim  1 ". 


66 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SOLITAIRE  GAME.  Dowels,  round  pins,  nails,  round  discs, 
or  marbles  can  be  adapted  to  any  one  of  the  solitaire  boards ;  square, 
octagonal,  or  round  as  shown  in  the  drawing.  If  it  is  desired  to  make 
the  board  of  a  solid  piece  as  in  Fig.  2,  the  boring  can  be  stopped  just 
as  soon  as  the  point  of  the  bit  comes  through  on  the  bottom  side. 
Great  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  boring;  for  if  one  hole  is  bored 
through,  it  necessitates  boring  all  the  holes  through  and  using  a  bottom 
board.  If  desired,  a  bottom  board  can  be  used  as  in  Fig.  1 .  In  Fig. 
3  a  countersink  bit  can  be  used  to  make  the  recesses  for  the  head,  or  a 
round-headed  screw  can  be  filed  up  and  used  as  a  countersink.  This 
secures  a  better  fit  for  the  marble. 

The  "  Center  Hole  "  game  consists  in  starting  with  all  but  the 
center  hole  filled,  and  in  finishing  with  only  the  center  hole  filled.  The 
method  used  is  by  jumping  as  in  checkers  and  removing  the  piece 
jumped.  The  key  for  correct  play,  as  per  diagram  (Fig.  1 )  is  as  follows : 


1 .  Pass  D  2  into  D  4  and  remove  D  3 

2.  Pass  F  1  into  D  3  and  remove  E  3 

3.  Pass  E  1  into  E  3  and  remove  E  2 

4.  Pass  E  4  into  E  2  and  remove  E  3 

5.  Pass  C  1  into  E  1  and  again  on  into 

E  3,  removing  D  1  and  E  2 

6.  Pass  E  6  into  E  4  and  remove  E  5 

7.  Pass  G  3  into  E  5  and  remove  F  3 

8.  Pass  D  5  into  F  3  and  remove  E  5 

9.  Pass  G  1  into  G  3  and  again  on  into 

E  5,  removing  G  2  and  F  3 


10.  Pass  B  3  into  D  5  and  remove  C  5 

1 1 .  Pass  C  7  into  C  5  and  remove  C  6 

1 2.  Pass  C  4  into  C  6  and  remove  C  5 

1 3.  Pass  E  7  into  C  7  and  again  on  into 

C  5,  removing  D  7  and  C  6 

14.  Pass  C  2  into  C  4  and  remove  C  3 

1 5.  Pass  A  1  into  C  3  and  remove  B  1 

1 6.  Pass  D  3  into  B  1  and  remove  A  1 

1 7.  Pass  A  3  into  A  1  and  again  on  into 

C  3,  removing  A  2  and  B  1 


SOLITAIRE  GAME 


67 


SOLITMIRE  GAME 

SCALE: 


FIG. 


FIG.  2. 


\ 

7 

C 

D 

C 

0 

o 

O 

i 

1 

i 

0 

o 

0 

i 

2. 

L 

fl 
0 

B 

O 

0 

0 

0 

0 

8 

1 

1 

3 

a 

a 

1 

i 

0 

o 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

3. 

z 

* 

4- 

z 

% 

0 

0 

0 

o 

0 

0 

0 

3 

3 

,r 

,r 

tT 

3 

3 

o 

O 

O 

6 

6 

6 

0 

0 

0 

7 

7 

V 

/ 

\ 

n  n 


7'',-  7'L^7"i-7'Li,  7 "^7 


8^     8T8'^^      8        8 


J_i ^  =    T  .          — r  -^ . 

"4:  5o 


I)      ii      il      I 


FIG.  3 


„       STOCK  FOR  SQUARE  BOARD 
I  PIECE 8"  X  %"XN  8" 


STOCt\FOf\  OCTAGOMAL  BORRD 
I  P1ECE_  7"  x  %"X7" 
32. 


STOCK  FOR  CIRCULAR  BOARD 
I  PlECEl_8"DIAtvl.yN%" 


JXL 


1 8.  Pass  D  5  into  D  3  and  again  on  into 

B1.B3,  D5,  F  3,  removing  D  4, 
C  3,  B  2,  C  5,  and  E  5 

19.  Pass  F  2  into  D  4  and  remove  E  4 


20.  Pass  C  4  into  E  4  and  remove  D  4 

2 1 .  Pass  E  3  into  E  5  and  remove  E  4 

22.  Pass  F  3  into  D  5  and  remove  E  5 

23.  Pass  D  6  into  D  4  and  remove  D  5 


68 


MANUAL  TRAINING -PLAY  PROBLEMS 


MARBLE  GAMES.  The  marble  board  or  rake  may  be  made  in 
a  great  variety  of  ways,  covering  processes  especially  in  sawing,  chisel- 
ing, and  boring.  If  thin  wood  is  used  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1 ,  the  open- 
ings should  be  cut  out  with  a  coping  saw. 

A  sawing  and  chiseling  problem  is  suggested  in  Fig.  2.  The  slant 
on  the  top  edge  of  the  two  end  pieces  can  be  cut  at  the  same  time. 
After  getting  them  out  the  proper  length  and  thickness,  fasten  them 
together  in  position  with  two  brads  or  a  clamp,  and  then  cut  the  slant. 
In  fastening  the  box  together,  a  few  drops  of  glue  should  be  used  at 
the  joints.  Considerable  care  must  be  taken  in  nailing,  else  the  pieces 
will  split.  Use  two  nails  in  the  back  and  two  or  three  in  the  front. 
Care  must  also  be  used  to  have  the  bottom  edges  on  a  line  with  each 
other,  else  the  box  will  not  set  down  level.  For  the  slow  workers,  the 
making  of  the  ends  and  back  could  easily  be  dispensed  with. 

Fig.  3  suggests  a  problem  in  either  chiseling  or  boring  or  both.  If 
the  chiseling  and  boring  are  combined  in  the  one  piece  as  suggested 
in  Fig.  3,  the  holes  should  not  be  bored  until  after  the  chiseling  is 
finished.  To  get  a  good  finish,  edges  should  be  slightly  rounded  or 
chamfered,  and  sandpapered. 

Fig.  3  in  the  drawing  of  bean  bag  games  on  page  1 7  is  a  suggestion 
of  possibilities  of  marble  rake  made  from  cigar  boxes.  If  the  open- 
ings are  cut  with  a  chisel  it  must  be  very  sharp  and  great  care  must 
be  taken  else  the  wood  will  split.  If  it  is  best  to  use  the  coping  saw, 
see  directions  for  use  on  page  xxiv. 


MARBLE  GAMES 


69 


MARBLE  GAMES 


SCALE. 


FRONT  VIEW 


STOCK-  Ore  LOHG  IWIHOW  CIGAR  BOX. 


STOCK 

I    FRONT 
ZELHD5 


is  FRONT  Piece: 

HY  Bt  U3ED  WITH- 
OUT enos  OH  B*CI\ 


It  is  best  to  leave  the  paper  on  until  after  the  cutting  is  done. 
Points  in  playing  the  games  may  be  arranged  as  desired  ;  one  point  for 
the  large  opening  and  more  as  they  increase  in  difficulty.  This  is 
suggested  in  Figs.  2  and  3. 


70 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


STILTS.  Stilts  for  those  who  have  had  no  practice  in  stilt  walk- 
ing should  be  long  enough  to  fit  under  the  shoulder  or  to  grasp  with 
the  hands.  The  foot  should  not  be  strapped  to  the  step.  To  avoid 
accidents  when  falling,  one  must  be  able  to  quickly  jump  to  the  ground. 

The  short  stilt  strapped  to  the  leg 
as  shown  in  Fig.  3  should  not  be 
used  until  one  has  become  expert  in 
walking.  In  some  countries,  the  stilt 
is  much  used  by  shepherds  and  is  a 
great  convenience  in  traveling  over 
the  ground.  A  strap  each  for  the 
ankle  and  the  foot  fastens  it  very 
securely. 

When  camping  out,  the  stilts 
may  be  cut  from  a  tree.  Select  a 
straight  limb  about  1^"  in  diameter 
which  has  a  branch  growing  out 
at  almost  right  angles.  Cut  this 
branch  off  with  a  projection  of  3" 
or  3|"  for  the  step.  Cut  the  limb 
off  about  20"  below  this  step  and 
the  necessary  length  above. 

As  a  manual  training  problem, 
the  stilt  affords  an  excellent  exer- 
cise in  rounding  the  edge  and  in 
chamfering.  This  process  is  described 
in  the  tip-cat  bat  on  pages  60  and  61 . 
A  light  wood  with  a  straight  grain  is 
desirable.  To  avoid  splitting  at  the 

ends,  a  chamfer  of  at  least  ^"  should  be  given  the  bottom  edge. 
Care  must  be  taken  in  fastening  the  step  to  the  upright  that  the 
screws  or  nails  do  not  split  the  step  block.  To  avoid  splitting  bore 
a  small  hole  in  the  step  where  the  screw  enters.  Foot  loops  can  be 
made  with  bands  of  thin  metal  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1,  or  the  foot 
can  be  fastened  with  cords  or  leather  straps.  The  straps  can  be 


STILTS 


71 


STILTS  OR  TOM-WALKERS 


ShOULDEin  STILT 


CHftMFER  ELMOS       .  _„ 

- BOTTOM     LEG  STILT 


STOCK 

3LSTEP5  FROM 

PIECE       5"  A  I/a  ^Q 
2  UPRIGHTS 

TOR  5HOULDEA  I%  ' 

TOR  H/M1D 


FIG.3 


fastened  to  the  uprights  or  slipped  into  loops  made  of  leather  or  thin 
metal.  In  Fig.  3  buckles  are  shown.  These  can  be  purchased  at  the 
leather  store  or  harness  shop.  They  can  easily  be  sewed  or  riveted 
to  leather  strips  about  f "  wide. 


72 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SHINNEY  OR  HOCKEY  STICKS,  PUCKS,  AND  SHIN  GUARDS. 
Hockey  sticks  should  be  not  less  than  36"  and  not  more  than  48" 
long.  An  excellent  stick  can  often  be  selected  from  the  branch  of  a 
tree.  When  made  in  the  workshop,  the  process  of  modeling  the  handle 
is  seen  in  the  drawing  of  the  peggy  bat  shown  on  pages  60  and  61.  A 
longer  striking  surface  than  that  shown  in  Figs.  3  and  4  is  desirable, 
but  is  not  practical  unless  the  grain  of  the  wood  follows  the  curve  of  the 
turn,  as  would  be  the  case  in  a  piece  cut  from  a  tree  or  when  the  end 
is  steamed  or  soaked  in  water  and  bent  into  shape.  Short  grain  must 
be  avoided.  The  handle  should  be  rounded  for  at  least  18"  from  the 
end.  For  the  younger  boys  and  girls  the  handle  should  be  not  more 
than  1"  round  or  the  size  given  in  Fig.  4,  while  for  the  older  boys 
1|"  round  or  the  size  shown  in  Fig.  3. 

The  pucks  can  be  made  any  shape  or  of  any  material  that  will 
roll  well.  Many  prefer  the  round  shape  because  it  rolls. 

Shin  guards  are  a  necessity.  The  guards  should  be  made  to  fit 
the  person  intending  to  wear  them.  They  must  be  made  short  enough 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  free  movement  of  the  ankle  and  the 
knee.  The  width  over  all  should  taper  so  as  to  fit  the  leg.  Figs.  1  and 
2  are  two  arrangements  which  have  been  found  to  work  out  well  for 
boys  of  the  upper  grammar  grades.  To  fasten  together,  lay  the  strips 
in  position  as  shown  in  drawing.  Next  lay  the  straps  made  of  strong 
leather  at  least  J"  wide  and  the  necessary  length,  across  the  strips. 
Four  short  nails  or  tacks  about  f "  long  should  be  used  to  fasten  the 


SHINNEY  OR  HOCKEY  STICKS,  PUCKS,  AND  SHIN  GUARDS   73 


strap  on  each  strip  of  wood.  After  all  the  nails  are  hammered  down 
tight,  turn  the  shin  guard  over,  and  bend  the  points  of  the  nails  over, 
hammering  them  down  firmly  into  the  strips.  Fasten  a  buckle  to  one 
end  of  the  straps,  and  punch  small  holes  in  the  other  end. 


74 


MANUAL  TRAINING— PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BOW  GUN.  A  straight  grained  hard  wood  such  as  white  ash 
should  be  used  for  the  bow.  A  barrel  hoop  can  be  used.  Cut  the 
strip  to  the  desired  width  and  thickness,  and  then  taper  it  toward 
the  ends,  keeping  the  bottom  edge  straight.  Just  how  much  to  taper 
it,  will  depend  on  the  wood  used.  Test  it  while  working  it  down. 
When  bent,  the  bow  should  make  a  strong  curve  with  the  ends  curved 
more  than  at  the  middle.  When  the  cord  is  attached  and  pulled 
back  hard,  the  distance  between  the  middle  of  the  cord  and  the  middle 
of  the  bow  should  be  the  same  as  the  distance  between  the  trigger  and 
the  hole  in  the  barrel  in  which  the  bow  is  held.  A  heavy  fish  line  or 
rawhide  makes  an  excellent  bow-string.  It  is  well  to  have  this  slightly 
shorter  than  the  bow,  and  it  is  best  to  have  it  arranged  with  a  knot 
and  loop  so  that  it  can  be  slipped  off,  thus  relieving  the  bow  of  the 
continued  strain. 

The  stock  and  barrel  of  the  bow  gun  can  be  made  of  one  piece, 
but  to  save  lumber  in  the  construction  of  Fig.  1  they  are  each  made 
of  separate  pieces,  the  edges  being  glued  up  on  the  line  indicated  in 
Fig.  2.  Before  gluing  them  together,  the  hole  for  the  bow  should  be 
cut.  It  is  well  to  make  the  hole  small  enough  so  that  the  bow  will 
fit  tightly.  After  gluing  the  stock  and  barrel  together  and  cutting 
to  the  outline,  lay  out  the  slot  for  the  trigger  and  cut  it  out  with  an 
auger  bit  and  chisel.  Then  cut  a  semicircular  groove  along  the 
upper  edge  of  the  barrel  as  shown  by  the  end  view  of  the  barrel  in 
Fig.  2.  If  this  is  too  difficult,  the  groove  can  be  formed  by  fasten- 


BOW  GUN 


75 


BOWGUN 


STOCK 

I  STOCK 6"  X  %" 

I  BARREI I" 

I  BOW 


ing  pieces  of  metal  or  thin  wood  on  the  sides  of  the  barrel  as  shown  in 
Fig.  4. 

If  the  cutting  of  the  groove  and  slot  is  too  difficult,  the  gun  can 
be  made  of  three  thicknesses  of  wood  by  using  three  j"  or  ^"  pieces 


76  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


the  full  size  of  the  gun.  After  sawing  the  outline,  take  the  inside 
thickness  and  cut  enough  away  to  allow  for  the  slot  of  the  trigger  and 
the  groove  of  the  barrel. 

Cut  out  the  trigger  and  fit  it  in  so  that,  when  cocked,  it  assumes  the 
position  shown  in  Fig.  2.  When  the  trigger  touches  the  back  of  the  slot, 
the  top  of  it  should  rest  just  underneath  the  cord  as  shown  in  Fig.  1 . 
Next,  slip  the  bow  in  place  and  with  a  brad  driven  in  from  the  top  edge 
of  the  barrel,  fasten  so  as  to  keep  the  bow  exactly  in  the  middle.  Now 
string  up  the  bow  and  set  the  gun  by  pulling  the  cord  back  and  slipping 
it  down  against  the  shoulder  just  above  the  trigger.  When  the  trigger 
is  pulled  the  cord  should  readily  be  raised  above  this  shoulder,  thus 
releasing  the  tension  of  the  bow.  If  everything  is  properly  adjusted 
the  arrow  should  easily  shoot  100  to  200  feet  with  a  fairly  true  aim. 

Arrows  should  be  made  with  the  front  end  slightly  heavier 
than  the  back.  This  can  be  done  by  forcing  a  little  metal  in  the  end 
or  by  wrapping  it  with  wire,  or  a  strip  can  be  cut  lengthwise  from  a 
shingle.  Into  the  rear  end,  a  paper  rudder  or  feathers  should  be 
inserted  so  that  the  arrow  will  carry  straight  to  the  mark.  To  put 
in  the  paper  guide,  the  end  should  be  split  slightly  and  a  piece  of  stiff 
paper  slipped  in.  If  feathers  are  used  select  straight  ones  and  tie 
them  on  with  fine  wire.  A  brad  should  be  driven  in  the  front  end 
and  filed  to  a  sharp  point.  This  will  enable  the  arrow  to  hold  where  it 
strikes  the  target.  This  point  should  stick  out  only  slightly,  otherwise 
it  is  rather  dangerous. 


DARTS  77 

A  target  as  suggested  in  Fig.  5  can  be  made  of  soft  wood  or  heavy 
cardboard.  The  alternating  circles  should  be  painted  in  contrasting 
colors.  Targets  are  also  made  with  a  dirt  or  sand  background  by  using 
a  shallow  box  and  covering  the  top  with  a  target  painted  cloth  or  very 
tough  paper. 

DARTS.  The  illustration  on  the  opposite  page  shows  a  few  of 
the  many  possible  varieties  of  darts.  In  the  upper  part  of  the 
photograph  two  methods  of  dart  throwing  are  shown.  In  the 
top  one  a  stick  made  from  a  green  bough  is  used,  and  in  the 
one  below  it  a  heavy  rubber  band  is  used  to  give  the  needed 
elasticity.  To  hold  the  cord  a  notch  is  cut  in  one  side  near  the 
front  end  of  the  dart.  This  notch  must  be  cut  out  on  a  sharp  bevel 
slanting  inward  toward  the  front  end,  and  in  such  a  manner  that 
a  knotted  cord  will  be  held  tightly  in  place  when  the  cord  is  pulled 
forward,  but  releases  itself  when  the  cord  is  pulled  in  the  opposite 
direction.  In  both  of  the  above  the  cord  is  knotted  and  is  seen 
caught  in  the  notch  of  the  dart.  In  the  upper  one  the  dart  is 
hanging  downward  at  the  extreme  right;  while  in  the  lower  one 
the  dart  is  horizontal  and  the  handle  hangs  downward.  In  this 
one  the  dart  is  simply  a  small  round  stick  with  the  forward  end  slightly 
larger  and  heavier.  The  proper  length  of  the  cord  must  be  deter- 
mined by  experimentation.  The  longer  the  stick  the  longer  must 
be  the  cord. 

To  throw  the  dart  grasp  the  handle  of  the  stick  in  the  right  hand 
(unless  left  handed)  and  with  the  dart  in  the  left  hand  pull  hard  mak- 
ing the  cord  taut  and  the  stick  bowed.  Now  release  the  dart,  and 
with  a  quick  motion  of  the  arm  throw  the  stick  forward.  The  sudden 
straightening  of  the  stick  and  the  added  momentum  given  it  by  the 
movement  of  the  arm  will  throw  the  dart  with  considerable  force  a 
great  distance. 

In  the  dart  thrower  in  which  a  rubber  band  is  used,  the  rubber  is 
tied  to  the  handle  with  a  piece  of  cord.  Practically  the  same  move- 
ments are  used  in  throwing  as  previously  described.  With  practice 
these  darts  can  be  thrown  at  a  target  with  gratifying  results.  The 
boys  and  girls  enjoy  this  sport  immensely. 


78 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SWISS  DINKEY  BIRDS.  In  Fig.  1  is  shown  the  arrangement 
of  the  pivots  and  the  cord  of  the  pendulum  which  swinging  sets  the 
head  and  tail  in  motion.  The  pivots  should  be  located  near  the  upper 
corners  of  the  body,  and  the  ends  of  the  cord  should  be  fastened  to  the 

inner  ends  of  the  head  and  tail  by 
means  of  a  hole  or  a  nail.  The  pivots 
must  work  very  freely,  and  the  cords 
must  be  arranged  so  that  no  friction 
is  created  to  retard  the  free  work- 
ing movement  of  the  parts.  If  de- 
sired two  body  pieces  can  be  used, 
and  thus  the  movement  of  parts  can 
be  hidden  from  view.  The  upper 
part  of  the  leg  can  be  fastened  in- 
side the  body  pieces.  By  fastening 
the  stand  to  the  side  of  the  leg 
piece,  the  stand  can  be  placed  on  a 
table  and  a  book  or  other  object 
can  be  used  to  hold  the  bird  up  in 
position,  as  shown  in  the  front  view 
of  Fig.  1 .  The  leg  piece  can  be  dis- 
pensed with,  as  shown  by  the  lower 
figure  in  the  photograph.  The  cord 
for  the  pendulum  should  be  long, 
and  the  weight  heavy  enough  to 
exert  a  strong  pull. 

The  body  of  Fig.  2  is  made  of 
one  piece.  In  each  end  of  the  body 
is  cut  a  slot  within  which  the  head  or 
tail  piece  is  allowed  to  pivot.  The 

legs  are  made  of  two  dowels  which  are  fastened  to  a  block  or  stand  piece. 
An  opening  of  an  inch  or  more  is  cut  on  one  side  of  this  stand  and  it 
is  fastened  to  a  table  top  by  means  of  a  wedge  as  shown  in  the  front 
and  side  views  of  Fig.  2.  In  Fig.  1  the  cord  swings  freely,  but  in 
Fig.  2  with  every  swing  of  the  pendulum  the  cord  strikes  the  project- 


SWISS  DINKEY  BIRDS 


79 


SWISS  DINKEY  BIRDS 


FRONT 


ing  part  of  the  stand  piece.  This  produces  a  somewhat  erratic  move- 
ment to  the  head  and  tail  pieces.  By  slightly  changing  the  meas- 
urements of  one  or  more  parts,  different  effects  can  be  produced. 
Experimentation  is  necessary  to  work  out  satisfactory  movements. 


80 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SWAYING  FIGURES.  The  principle  underlying  the  movement 
of  these  figures  is  the  familiar  arrangement  of  the  knife  and  pencil  as 
shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  "  honest  woodsman  "  (Fig.  1)  can  be  outlined 
and  sawed  out  with  the  coping  saw.  One  edge  of  the  upright  piece 

is  notched  to  resemble  saw  teeth. 
The  arms  can  be  made  of  two  pieces. 
They  can  be  nailed  to  the  sides  of  the 
saw,  and  the  body  can  be  nailed  di- 
rectly to  the  ends  of  these  arm  pieces, 
or  the  ends  can  be  set  into  the  body 
piece  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1.  If 
nailed  directly  to  the  body,  the  arm 
pieces  should  be  larger,  about  f "  or 
^"  thick,  so  as  to  avoid  splitting. 
One  method  of  construction  is  to 
make  the  arms  of  one  piece  with 
a  slip  joint  at  one  end  and  a  mor- 
tise and  tenon  joint  at  the  other, 
as  is  shown  in  the  lower  part  of  Fig. 
1 .  The  pivots  set  in  the  bottom  of 
the  feet  are  made  by  driving  in 
brads  and  filing  the  brads  to  sharp 
points.  It  is  necessary  that  these 
points  be  of  equal  length.  If  varia- 
tions in  the  proportion  of  the  parts 
are  made,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
longer  the  saw  and  cord  and  the 
shorter  the  arms,  the  more  upright 
will  be  the  position  of  the  body. 
The  weight  should  be  fairly  heavy. 

The  dancing  elephant  (Fig.  3)  is  a  suggestion  that  might  be  applied 
to  many  animal  forms.  The  whole  figure  can  be  made  of  one  piece 
as  suggested  in  Fig.  3.  The  figure  of  this  elephant  is  simply  the  modi- 
fication of  a  rectangular  piece.  The  animal  can  be  made  much  more 
interesting  and  better  proportioned  if  the  body  and  head  are  made 


SWAYING  FIGURES 


81 


STOCK  FOR  WOODSMAN 
I  SAW _l  "A  WX  \i" 

WOODSMAN 2."  X 

2.  ARMS I  "  X 

I   WE1IGHT *."  X  l/t  A  3  ' 


5TOCt\  FOR  DAMCIHG  ELEPHANT 

ELEPHANT *"X.#'  X  7" 

I  WEIGHT X."  XI>1UX3" 

I  WIRE. 


ARMS  OF  WOODSMAN 
MADE:  OF  one:  PIECE: 


in  one  piece  and  the  legs  are  made  separate  and  fastened  on  each  side 
so  as  to  pivot.  The  pivot  should  be  tight  so  that  various  positions 
can  be  assumed  and  held.  The  wire  should  be  bent  until  the  figure 
assumes  a  natural  position. 


82 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


FALLING  SEESAW  AND  LADDER.  In  making  the  zigzag 
pole  for  the  falling  seesaw  or  teeter,  shown  in  Fig.  1,  care  must  be 
taken  in  getting  the  width  of  the  zigzag  even.  The  end  of  the  pole 
can  be  nailed  and  glued  to  the  base  pieces,  and  the  upright  pieces  can 

be  cross-lapped  or  simply  crossed. 
The  seesaw  as  shown  is  made  rever- 
sible. When  the  beam  has  worked 
down  to  the  bottom,  turn  upside 
down  and  the  beam  will  work  down 
again.  The  figures  must  pivot 
loosely  on  the  nail,  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  figure  must  be  heavier 
than  that  above  the  pivot,  so  that 
they  will  always  right  themselves 
with  heads  up  when  the  seesaw  is 
turned  upside  down.  The  side  brace 
is  not  shown  in  the  photograph,  but 
has  been  found  necessary  to  make 
a  strong  piece  of  work.  A  little 
wax  will  enable  the  beam  to  work 
with  less  friction.  Within  certain 
limitations  the  pupils  can  each  cut 
and  draw  their  own  figures. 

The  falling  ladder  or  falling 
chinaman  shown  in  Fig.  2  and  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  photograph  can  be 
worked  to  any  size  desired.  It  is 
highly  important  that  the  project- 
ing nails  be  placed  evenly.  As  with  the  seesaw,  a  little  wax  will  avoid 
friction.  The  rungs  and  sides  of  the  ladder  are  usually  drawn  on  a  flat 
piece  of  wood,  but  cross-lap  joints  can  be  made  if  a  real  ladder  is 
desired.  Have  the  nails  project  far  enough  for  the  figure  to  run 
between  the  heads  of  the  nails  and  the  front  surface  of  the  ladder.  If 
desired,  the  figures  for  both  these  problems  may  be  cut  out  of  heavy 
cardboard. 


FALLING  SEESAW  AND  LADDER 


83 


FALLING  SEESAW  AND  LADDER 


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Be  sure  to  get  the  curve  for  the  chinaman's  cape  perfectly  even, 
with  both  sides  exactly  alike.  The  ladder  can  be  made  longer,  but  the 
position  of  the  nails  must  not  be  changed  unless  the  dimensions  of 
the  figures  are  made  larger  or  smaller  in  exactly  the  same  proportion. 


84 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


LOOMS.  The  simplest  form  of  a  loom  can  be  made  of  a  piece  of 
cardboard  with  ends  notched  to  catch  the  warp  threads.  A  simple 
wooden  loom  is  made  with  butt  joint  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  A  lap  joint 
is  shown  in  Fig.  1 .  A  packing  box  may  also  be  used  by  driving  nails 
in  two  parallel  edges  of  the  open  end. 

To  hold  the  warp  threads  in  place,  make  saw  grooves  or  drive  in 
nails.  The  grooves  can  be  sawed  in  both  pieces  at  the  same  time  by 
fastening  them  together  in  the  vise.  The  position  of  all  grooves 
should  be  marked  off  from  the  rule  without  moving  it.  This  insures 
having  the  correct  number  of  grooves  within  the  desired  length.  Fig.  1 
shows  the  grooves  made  with  the  saw.  They  should  be  not  less  than 
|"  apart.  Care  must  be  taken  in  sawing  the  grooves.  They  must 
not  be  more  than  ^"  in  depth,  else  the  wood  between  the  grooves  will 
be  liable  to  break  out.  If  brads  are  used,  they  must  be  driven  in 
carefully  lest  the  great  number  of  them  on  a  line  split  the  wood.  In 
Fig.  1  steel  rods  f  "  or  ^"  in  diameter,  located  just  under  the  outside 
threads,  are  used  to  keep  the  cloth  a  uniform  width.  If  wires  are  not 
used,  considerable  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  cloth  the  same 
width  throughout. 

The  loom  as  planned  in  Fig.  2  is  made  with  a  butt  joint  by  nailing 
the  cross  pieces  to  the  ends  of  the  side  pieces. 

The  loom  should  be  designed  to  suit  the  widest  size  of  cloth  desired ; 
the  full  width  or  length,  however,  need  not  be  used.  After  the  cloth 
is  woven,  slip  the  thread  off,  then  cut  and  tie  the  ends  two  at  a  time. 


LOOMS 


85 


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The  threads  running  lengthwise  are  called  the  warp,  and  the  threads 
crossing  these  are  called  the  woof  or  weft.  A  strong  string  or  fine  cord 
such  as  carpet  warp  should  always  be  used  for  the  warp  threads ; 
while  raffia,  yarn,  or  cord  may  be  used  for  the  woof. 


86 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


ROOT-CAGES.  The  root-cages  herewith  suggested  are  wooden 
frames  with  glass  sides.  In  Fig.  1  the  glass  is  set  into  grooves  sawed 
in  the  bottom  and  the  end  pieces.  The  grooves  can  be  very  quickly 
cut  if  a  circular  saw  can  be  used  ;  but,  if  this  is  not  available,  an  ordinary 
hand  saw  can  be  used.  Old  photograph  negatives  serve  economically 
for  the  glass  sides.  The  film  can  be  readily  cleaned  off  by  putting 
the  negative  in  a  hot  water  solution  of  sal  soda  or  other  alkali  and 
then  scraping. 

To  construct  the  root-cage  suggested  in  Fig.  1 ,  slip  the  glass  into  the 
grooves  of  the  end  pieces,  hold  them  firmly  in  position,  and  locate  the 
braces.  Then  slip  the  glass  out  and  nail  on  the  braces.  Next  slide  the 
glass  in  place  again,  mark  the  location  of  the  bottom,  slip  the  glass 
out,  and  nail  the  bottom  in  place,  after  which  slip  the  glass  in  place 
again.  It  should  fit  in  tightly,  so  that  if  the  cage  is  turned  upside  down 
the  glass  will  not  drop  out.  A  strip  can  be  nailed  lengthwise  along 
each  side  at  the  top  to  hold  the  glass  in  place.  If  the  root-cage  is  to 
be  used  for  a  vivarium,  a  cover  should  be  provided.  For  this  purpose 
a  piece  of  perforated  sheet  metal  or  wire  screen  should  be  fastened 
down  over  the  top.  If  hinged  this  can  be  used  as  a  door.  A  nail 
driven  and  bent  over  will  serve  as  a  catch.  If  used  for  plants,  a  piece 
of  cardboard  should  be  slipped  up  against  the  glass  sides  to  exclude 
the  light,  otherwise  the  light  will  drive  the  roots  away  from  the  glass. 

Fig.  2  shows  a  simpler  construction  of  root-cage.  No  grooves  are 
used,  the  edge  of  the  glass  fitting  closely  against  the  surface  of  the 


ROOT-CAGES 


87 


ROOT  CAGES 


TOP  VIEW 


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wood.  Nails  are  used  to  hold  the  glass  in  place,  but  a  strip  of  wood 
is  much  better.  In  Fig.  2,  strips  of  wood  are  suggested  along  the  bot- 
tom edges.  To  prevent  the  glass  from  slipping  out  if  the  cage  is  turned 
upside  down,  a  thin  strip  should  be  fastened  across  the  top  at  each  end. 


88 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BIRD  HOUSES.  A  simple  bird  house  can  be  made  from  a 
jar  or  can,  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1.  A  back  piece  should  be  attached 
to  the  bird  house  if  it  is  to  be  fastened  against  an  upright  surface; 
or  it  may  be  suspended  by  means  of  wire  or  cord  as  suggested  in 
Fig.  2. 

Many  various  types  of  construction  may  be  used  for  the  house, 
one  of  which  is  suggested  in  Fig.  2.  The  house  may  be  built  up  of 
sticks  of  wood  like  a  log  cabin.  The  roof  can  be  thatched  or  shingled. 

A  box  can  be  used  as  shown  in  the  photograph.  If  the  box  is  large, 
partitions  can  be  put  in  and  in  this  way  compartments  can  be  made 
to  accommodate  a  number  of  birds.  One  opening  only  should  be  made 
for  each  compartment  so  that  the  inhabitants  can  keep  out  intruders. 
A  hole  not  more  than  1"  in  diameter  should  be  used  for  wrens  and 
chickadees,  and  2"  for  bluebirds  and  robins.  If  large  birds  such  as 
doves  are  to  be  housed,  the  opening  should  be  about  3"  by  4".  The 
interior  of  the  house  can  be  readily  accessible  by  hinging  the  side.  A 
peephole  can  be  arranged  to  observe  the  habits  of  the  birds.  It  is 
desirable  to  have  the  surface  of  the  wood  rough. 

The  following  suggestions  are  by  an  authority  on  the  care  of  birds. 
'  The  proper  size  for  a  bird  house  is  6"  square  floor  space  and  8" 
high.  Old  weathered  boards  should  be  used,  or  if  painted  they  should 
be  made  the  color  of  an  old  tree  trunk.  A  single  opening  near  the  top 
should  be  made,  2"  in  diameter  for  most  birds ;  although  for  wrens 
and  chickadees  one  with  1"  diameter  is  sufficient. 


BIRD  HOUSES 


89 


BIRD  HOU5E1S 

STOCK  TOR  WREN  HOUSE: 

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PROMT  VIEW 


5 IDE.  VIEW 


"  A  house  of  this  kind  will  serve  to  keep  out  English  sparrows,  and 
for  wrens  the  house  should  be  set  in  a  shady  place."  l  For  descriptions 
of  bird  houses,  see  Wm.  Noyes'  Design  and  Construction  in  Wood  and 
A.  F.  Siepert's  Bird' Houses  Boys  can  Build. 

1  Hodge,  Nature-Study  and  Life,  p.  334. 


90 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BOX  TRAPS.  The  box  traps  herewith  shown  are  planned  for 
rats  or  mice.  If  desired  for  mice  only,  reduce  to  one  half  the  sizes 
given.  If  desired  for  rabbits  or  squirrels,  they  should  be  made  about 
twice  the  sizes  given.  The  box  made  of  metal  is  more  durable  than 
wood.  Small  packing  boxes,  a  convenient  size,  can  be  used,  and  the 
whole  interior  of  the  box  can  be  lined  with  metal.  If  so,  this  should 
be  tacked  in  before  assembling.  If  the  box  is  not  lined,  strips  of  sheet 
"iron  or  tin  should  be  run  around  all  the  open  edges,  and  the  holes 
provided  for  the  trigger  and  for  ventilation.  In  Fig.  1  the  catch  is 
fastened  to  the  under  side  of  the  box.  The  door  and  catch  may  be 
made  of  one  piece.  If  so,  the  top  piece  should  be  made  about  three 
inches  longer  and  tapered  so  as  to  catch  the  end  of  the  trigger.  Note 
that  the  top  edge  of  the  back  is  beveled  for  clearance  so  as  to  allow 
the  top  piece  to  be  raised  up  high  enough  to  catch  the  trigger.  If  a 
butt  hinge  fastened  to  the  back  and  the  under  side  of  the  lid  is  used, 
this  bevel  is  not  necessary. 

The  trigger  can  be  made  of  a  strip  of  wood,  metal,  or  a  wire ;  the 
one  suggested  in  Fig.  1  is  of  wire,  and  the  other  two  are  of  wood.  The 
trigger  is  best  made  of  metal,  because  if  the  animal  is  in  the  box  any 
length  of  time  the  end  of  the  wooden  ones  will  be  gnawed  up.  The 
hole  in  the  back  of  the  box  should  only  be  large  enough  to  insert  the 
trigger. 

When  the  rodent  is  caught  put  the  box  in  a  bucket  of  water  for  a 
few  minutes  to  drown  it.  If  kept  in  the  water  long,  it  will  take  a 


BOX  TRAPS 


91 


BOX  TRAPS 


SCALEl 


STOCK 

I  TOP_4l/e"x3.4.'1 
I  BOTTOM-**"  X%-" 
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2.SIDES—5"    X 
TRlGOEfi  WIRE.  7" 

I  CATCrt_l>£"X  ^-" 
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2.  RUBBER  BANDS   ABOUT   6  "  LONG 


VIE.W 


long  time  for  the  wood  to  dry  out.  To  have  the  box  open  and  shut 
easily,  the  top  and  front  pieces  are  made  ^"  narrower  than  the  inside 
of  the  box.  Note  also,  that  the  grain  of  wood  in  the  back  and  front 
pieces  runs  up  and  down,  that  is,  in  the  same  direction  as  the  top  and 


92  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 

bottom  pieces.  This  is  done  so  that  all  of  the  pieces  when  wet  will 
swell  equally  in  width,  and  thus  allow  the  box  at  all  times  to  open  and 
shut  easily.  A  little  wax  should  be  applied  to  the  sides  if  they  stick 
in  the  least. 

The  construction  of  Fig.  2  is  almost  similar  to  Fig.  1 .  The  connec- 
tion between  the  catch  and  trigger  is  made  with  a  string  run  through 
a  screw  eye  fastened  at  the  top  of  the  back  piece.  To  hold  the  upper 
end  of  the  catch,  a  notch  which  is  cut  in  the  middle  of  the  back  piece 
is  indicated  in  Fig.  2.  A  little  piece  of  wood  may  be  fastened  to 
the  back  instead  of  cutting  the  notch.  The  under  edge  of  this  piece 
will  hold  the  catch  down  in  place.  Drive  a  nail  into  the  end  of  the 
trigger  and  sharpen  it  to  a  point  so  that  the  bait  can  easily  be  fas- 
tened to  it.  If  the  piece  of  wood  for  the  trigger  is  long,  the  end  of 
it  may  be  sharpened  instead  of  using  the  nail.  In  Figs.  1  and  2,  as 
soon  as  the  trap  is  sprung  by  a  movement  of  the  trigger,  the  top  and 
front  pieces  fall  down  into  place  and  the  rodent  is  securely  caught, 
unless  it  has  a  chance  to  eat  its  way  out. 

In  Fig.  3,  a  tin  can  is  used  for  the  box.  Pieces  of  wood  are  used 
at  the  sides  and  bottom  and  a  brad  is  used  at  the  end  to  hold  the  can 
up  into  place.  The  door  pivots  at  the  top  by  means  of  nails  driven 
through  the  sides  at  the  top  corner.  Rubber  bands  slipped  over  pro- 
jecting nails  on  each  side  connect  the  door  to  the  side  of  the  box.  A 
slight  movement  at  the  bait  end  of  the  trigger  will  spring  the  trap 
and  the  rubber  bands  will  bang  the  door  shut.  The  whole  box  can 
be  put  in  water.  This  is  not  necessary,  however,  if  the  heads  of  the 
nails  which  hinge  the  door  are  left  projecting  and  are  loose  enough 
to  pull  out.  Pull  out  the  nails,  slip  off  the  rubber  bands;  and  the 
can  and  door  can  be  lifted  out  together.  Lower  it  into  a  bucket  of 
water  with  the  lid  in  place  and  against  the  side  or  bottom  of  the  bucket ; 
then  slip  the  door  away.  This  method  avoids  soaking  the  trap  in 
the  water  when  drowning  the  rodent. 

Another  kind  of  box  trap  can  be  made,  somewhat  similar  to  that 
shown  in  Fig.  3  on  page  91,  without  the  use  of  the  rubber  band,  the 
door  dropping  in  place  by  means  of  its  own  weight.  Either  style  of 
trigger  can  be  used.  If  a  box  is  used  a  slot  can  be  cut  in  the  top  near 


BOX  TRAPS  93 

the  end  large  enough  for  the  door  to  fit.  If  a  tin  can  is  used  as  sug- 
gested in  Fig.  3,  the  sides  can  be  made  longer  and  strips  or  nails  put 
on  the  inside  to  form  grooves  for  the  door,  which  must  fit  loosely  so 
as  to  drop  quickly  as  soon  as  the  trap  is  sprung.  A  strip  of  wood  or 
stiff  wire  is  used  for  the  connecting  bar  between  the  trigger  and  the 
door.  At  one  end  it  fits  into  the  notch  of  the  trigger  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 
At  the  other  end  it  fits  into  a  notch  or  shallow  hole  (this  can  be  bored 
with  a  drill)  on  the  inside  surface  of  the  door.  A  narrow  strip  of 
wood  or  projecting  wire  fastened  to  the  top  near  the  middle  supports 
the  bar,  which  in  turn  holds  the  trigger  and  door  in  position  when  the 
trap  is  set.  A  slight  movement  at  the  bait  end  of  the  trigger  slips  the 
bar  out  of  position,  and  causes  the  door  to  drop  down  into  place. 
After  the  rodent  is  caught  the  can  can  be  lifted,  with  door  in  place  over 
the  end  of  the  can,  and  slipped  into  a  bucket  of  water  as  suggested 
at  the  bottom  of  page  92. 

The  barrel  trap  which  is  shown  on  the  left  of  the  illustration  on 
page  26  is  made  by  means  of  tying  a  piece  of  heavy  wrapping  paper 
over  the  open  top  of  a  barrel.  Food  should  be  put  on  top  of  this 
paper  for  a  few  nights  so  that  the  rats  get  in  the  habit  of  feeding  there. 
After  they  have  gotten  the  habit,  make  slits  in  the  paper.  The  paper 
should  be  stiff  enough  to  hold  their  weight  until  they  get  near  the 
center,  when  they  will  drop  through  the  slits  into  the  barrel,  and  the 
paper  will  go  back  into  place.  The  food  must  be  fastened  to  the  paper 
so  that  it  will  not  fall  into  the  barrel.  In  a  large  warehouse  where 
several  of  these  traps  were  set  hundreds  of  rats  were  caught  in  one 
night. 

A  small  trap  constructed  somewhat  like  the  above  can  be  made 
from  a  tin  can.  Select  a  large  baking  powder  or  coffee  can,  one 
with  a  lid  made  of  thin  tin.  Make  two  cuts  across  the  center  of  the 
lid  at  right  angles  to  each  other  as  shown  in  the  illustration  on  page  26. 
The  opening  must  be  made  so  that  the  rodent  can  easily  slip  through 
it  to  secure  the  bait  put  inside,  but  cannot  get  out  because  the  edges 
of  the  tin  slant  inward.  The  rodents  that  are  caught  can  be  drowned 
by  placing  the  can  in  a  bucket  of  water,  and  afterward  taken  out  by 
removing  the  lid. 


94 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RING  TOSS  GAMES.  The  ring  toss  game,  or  quoits,  is  appli- 
cable to  many  tool  exercises  which  involve  the  cross-lap  joint,  verti- 
cal boring,  lathe  turning,  and  box  construction. 

Fig.  1  is  one  type  of  a  box  construction.  An  empty  packing 
box  with  lock  corners  can  be  used.  Saw  the  box  to  the  desired  height 
and  then  nail  the  top  and  bottom  on.  Next  saw  this  box  in  two,  thus 
separating  the  bottom  and  lid.  Put  lock  blocks  in  each  corner  as 
suggested  in  Fig.  1 ,  or  run  a  thin  strip  all  around  the  inside  of  the  box, 
letting  it  project  about  |".  Bore  holes  for  the  pegs  or  uprights  through 
the  top  of  the  box  and  part  way  into  the  bottom.  The  pegs  can  be 
fastened  in  permanently,  or  the  pegs  can  be  slipped  out  and  put  inside 
of  the  box  together  with  the  rings  as  shown  in  the  photograph. 

Fig.  2  represents  a  cross-lap  joint  and  the  use  of  5  pegs. 

The  use  of  human  or  animal  figures,  such  as  the  tossing  of  a  collar 
or  hat-shaped  ring  on  the  figure  of  a  clown  which  has  been  sawed  with 
a  coping  saw  or  turned  on  the  lathe,  the  tossing  of  a  bracelet  or  ring 
on  the  outstretched  arm  of  a  figure  of  a  woman,  or  the  tossing 
of  a  rope  ring,  or  lasso,  on  the  head  of  animal  figures,  all  such  add 
interest  to  the  making.  Group  problems  can  be  worked  out  by  having 
one  large  figure  and  several  small  ones  fastened  to  a  board  base. 

Rings  can  be  made  of  a  variety  of  materials.  Rope  J"  or  f "  in 
diameter  can  be  shaped  and  spliced  in  the  form  of  a  ring,  and  sewed 
or  wrapped  with  cord  or  raffia.  For  a  5"  ring,  use  18"  of  rope  and 
splice  the  ends  for  2"  or  3".  If  wire  is  used,  it  should  be  more  than 


RING  TOSS  GAMES 


95 


FUNG  TOSS  GAMES 


STOCK 

I  LOCK  JOINT  BOX  ABOUT  9"  X  3"  X  12." 

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SIDE  VIEW 


|"  in  diameter  so  as  to  be  heavy  enough  to  carry  well.    Rings  of  wood 
can  be  sawed  out  with  the  coping  saw  or  turned  up  on  the  lathe. 

A  pattern  for  quoits  can  be  made  and  cast  in  metal.     If  of  iron,  a 
5"  or  5^"  disc  with  a  2"  or  2^"  hole  and  |"  in  thickness  is  a  good  size. 


96 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RATTLERS.  The  ratchet  for  the  clicker  as  shown  in  Fig.  1  can 
be,  made  with  any  number  of  teeth.  To  make  the  eight-tooth  ratchet 
as  herewith  shown,  select  a  piece  of  wood  not  too  thick  so  that  it  can 
be  cut  out  with  the  coping  saw,  cut  it  to  2^"  square,  and  lay  out  with 
center  lines  each  way  and  also  diagonals.  These  lines  will  cut  the 
surface  up  into  eight  equal  parts.  With  a  pair  of  compasses  or  dividers 
draw  circles  for  the  base  and  outer  edge  of  the  teeth,  and  next  lay  out 
the  teeth  similar  to  the  ratchet  shown  in  Fig.  1 .  The  center  hole 
for  the  axle  should  be  bored  before  cutting  it  to  shape.  The  ratchet 
must  fit  tightly  to  the  axle.  To  lay  out  a  ratchet  with  six  teeth,  first 
lay  out  the  circles  and  then  divide  into  six  equal  parts.  This  can  be 
done  by  stepping  the  radius  six  times  around  the  circumference  of 
the  circle.  The  radius  of  any  circle  will  always  go  around  the  cir- 
cumference just  six  times.  The  ratchet  can  then  be  laid  out  and  cut 
to  shape  as  before.  The  most  convenient  ratchet  is  that  made  from 
a  spool  as  shown  in  Fig.  2. 

After  the  ratchet  is  finished,  make  a  piece  long  enough  for  the 
handle  and  washer  all  in  one ;  then  find  the  center  at  each  end  and  bore 
holes  f"  or  |"  in  depth  just  large  enough  for  the  axle  to  fit  in  neatly. 
Now,  saw  the  lengths  for  the  handle  and  the  washer  one  off  each 
end,  and  cut  the  axle  the  desired  length,  which  must  be  the  outside 
thickness  of  the  box  plus  the  depth  of  each  hole  previously  bored  into 
the  handle  and  the  washer.  The  reason  for  these  dimensions  can 


RATTLERS 


97 


RATTLERS 


SCALE. 


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readily  be  seen  in  the  front  view  of  Fig.  1 .  Now  fasten  the  axle  securely 
into  the  handle.  Next,  get  out  the  two  side  pieces.  Bore  the  holes 
for  the  axle  through  the  two  pieces  at  one  time,  and  large  enough  so 
that  they  will  revolve  freely  on  the  axle.  Wax  the  inside  of  these 


98  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 

holes,  but  be  careful  not  to  get  any  wax  on  the  axle,  else  it  may  make 
it  impossible  to  securely  fasten  the  ratchet  to  the  axle.  Next  slip 
one  of  the  side  pieces  on  the  axle,  and  then  fasten  the  ratchet  very 
securely  to  the  axle.  Now  nail  the  two  blocks  to  this  side  piece.  The 
thickness  of  the  blocks  will  depend  on  the  thickness  of  the  ratchet; 
they  should  be  slightly  thicker  than  the  ratchet.  Next  fasten  the 
remaining  side  piece  in  place,  and  then  fasten  the  washer  securely  to 
the  end  of  the  axle.  A  nail  or  cotter  pin  can  take  the  place  of  the 
washer.  Now  nail  the  back  piece  in  place.  The  end  of  it  should  be 
slipped  up  close  to  the  ratchet,  but  not  close  enough  to  touch.  Next 
fasten  the  front  strip  in  place.  It  is  best  to  make  this  of  a  wood  that 
does  not  split  readily.  Slip  one  end  of  this  front  piece  up  toward  the 
ratchet  so  that  the  point  of  the  teeth  will  lift  the  free  end,  and  as  soon 
as  it  clears  the  point  of  the  teeth  it  will  bang  back  into  position  as 
shown  in  the  side  view,  Fig.  1.  If  set  too  far  up,  the  strain  on  the 
front  piece  is  soon  liable  to  split  it  into  pieces.  This  strip  must  be 
nailed  securely  to  the  long  block  at  the  end,  but  not  to  the  short  block 
in  the  middle.  Before  fastening  it  securely,  it  is  well  to  first  tack  it 
lightly  in  place  and  test  it  to  see  if  it  clicks  satisfactorily.  If  necessary, 
the  back  piece  can  be  dispensed  with.  The  advantage  of  this  piece, 
however,  is  that  the  hollow  box  thus  formed  gives  a  greater  volume  of 
sound. 

The  spool  rattler  shown  in  Fig.  3  is  made  by  simply  taking  an 
empty  spool,  running  doubled  cord  through  the  center,  and  fastening  it 
around  one  side  as  seen  in  the  drawing.  Next,  take  a  small  stick,  slip 
it  between  the  two  thicknesses  of  cord  and  twist  it  tightly  by  means  of 
the  stick.  This  is  shown  in  Fig.  3  and  in  the  photograph.  The 
tension  of  the  cord  pushes  one  end  of  the  stick  tightly  against  the 
spool.  By  pushing  the  upper  end  down  and  then  releasing  it,  a  tapping 
effect  is  produced.  If  this  arrangement  is  attached  to  a  hollow  cylinder 
or  box,  a  greater  volume  of  sound  can  be  obtained. 

Fig.  4  is  the  drawing  of  a  rattler  stick  or  "bone."  Two  or  three 
of  these  comprise  a  set.  They  are  held  between  the  fingers  and  rattled 
in  the  palm  of  the  hand.  Two  modifications  of  these  can  be  seen  in 
the  drawing. 


RATTLERS 


99 


For  the  smaller  rattler  shown  above,  of  which  both  the  end  and 
side  views  are  seen,  take  a  1J"  round  or  square  block  and  bore  a  large 
size  hole  about  2"  deep  in  one  end  to  make  it  resonant.  Next  cut  a 
slot  about  1J"  long  and  J"  wide  in  this  end.  The  handle  can  be 
shaped  up  round.  Next  take  an  8"  length  of  wire  that  is  not  too  soft. 
Steel  spring  wire  is  best.  A  wire  stay  from  a  corset  is  excellent.  Now 
bore  a  small  hole  through  the  diameter  about  4"  from  the  bored  end. 
Slip  the  wire  in  this  hole  and  fasten  it  down  to  the  sides  with  double 
pointed  tacks  about  ^"  from  where  it  projects  from  the  hole.  The 
ends  of  the  wire  should  stand  off  from  the  block  about  an  inch  as  shown 
above.  Fasten  on  two  pieces  of  wood  or  metal  for  the  tongues.  Holes 
can  be  bored  and  the  wire  inserted,  or  they  can  be  tied  or  tacked  on. 

Another  form  of  rattler  is  what  is  known  as  a  "Chinese  drum." 
It  is  simply  a  small  hollow  cylinder  or  prism  made  of  a  heavy  strong 
paper  into  which,  before  it  is  sealed,  are  put  some  small  hard  particles 
such  as  peas  or  shot. 

The  lower  piece  in  the  illustration,  which  is  a  pop  gun,  speaks  for 
itself.  When  the  piston  is  pulled  out,  the  cork  at  the  end  of  the  string 
is  set  into  the  end  of  the  hole ;  and  when  the  piston  is  pushed  in  sharply 
the  air  forces  the  cork  out  with  a  popping  sound.  If  the  piston  fits 
snugly  but  not  too  tight,  a  little  practice  makes  it  pop. 


100 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


AEROPLANE  AND  GLIDER.  Buoyancy  and  balance  are 
essential  requirements  in  the  construction  of  aeroplanes  and  gliders. 
The  strips  for  the  aeroplane,  Fig.  1 ,  should  be  made  of  bamboo  splints. 
If  bamboo  is  not  available,  a  light-weight  straight-grained  wood  such 
as  spruce  or  white  pine  should  be  used.  Cut  the  pieces  to  the  desired 
size  and  tie  the  corners  of  the  plane  frames  with  a  fine  thread.  Slight 
indentations  or  notches  where  the  thread  crosses  will  keep  the  pieces 
in  place.  After  the  frames  are  made,  cover  them  with  a  light-weight 
cloth  or  thin  tough  paper.  Oiled  silk  which  is  sold  by  the  druggists 
is  best  because  it  is  waterproof,  but  it  is  rather  expensive.  The 
frames  should  be  fastened  to  the  center  beam  in  the  same  way  that 
the  corners  were  fastened  together.  A  few  spots  of  glue  will  help 
to  hold  it  firmly.  After  this  is  dry  attach  a  cord  from  the  front 
corners  to  the  center  beam  and  pull  taut  until  the  corners  of  the 
front  plane  are  raised  as  shown  in  Fig.  1 .  By  means  of  propellers  and 
a  rubber  band  for  the  motive  power,  an  aeroplane  can  be  made  such 
as  is  shown  in  the  center  figure  of  the  photograph.  The  propeller, 
of  a  thin  metal,  can  be  made  as  suggested  in  Fig.  4  on  page  35. 

The  construction  of  the  glider  shown  in  Fig.  2  has  been  suggested 
by  Mr.  Hackett,  Supervisor  of  Manual  Arts,  Reading,  Pa.  The 
rudder  and  planes  should  be  made  of  stiff,  tough  paper.  Slot  the 
end  of  the  shaft  and  insert  the  rudder;  then,  with  glue  and  nails, 
fasten  the  planes  to  the  center  shaft.  The  forward  or  smaller  one 
should  be  turned  up  slightly,  and  the  back  one  hollowed  as  shown  in 


AEROPLANE  AND  GLIDER 


101 


AEROPLANE  AMD  GLIDER 


SIDE  VIEW 


TOP  VIEW 


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the  side  view  of  Fig.  2.  To  put  the  glider  in  motion  hold  the  shaft 
in  the  fingers  and  throw  it  forward ;  or  insert  one  end  of  a  rubber  band 
in  the  notch  on  the  under  side  of  the  shaft  and  stretch  as  in  a  sling- 
shot. When  released  the  glider  will  shoot  forward. 


102 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


ANIMALS  WITH  MOVABLE  PARTS.  Figs.  1  and  3  show  pos- 
sibilities of  cam  movements  made  with  a  brad  nailed  to  the  axle. 
Fig.  2  shows  a  balancing  or  pendulum  effect.  In  Fig.  1,  the  head 
pivots  on  the  far  end  with  the  cam  action  in  the  middle  part.  In  the 
photograph,  the  second  figure  on  the  top  row  shows  one  of  the  sides 
removed  with  the  head  raised  by  the  nail  and  the  head  just  ready  to 
fall.  In  Fig.  3,  the  head  pivots  in  the  middle  with  the  cam  movement 
at  the  end.  This  type  works  easier  than  that  in  Fig.  1 ,  but  it  is  impor- 
tant that  the  lower  end  be  the  heavier  so  as  to  keep  the  head  in  an 
upright  position.  The  bottom  of  the  head  must  also  be  heavier  in  the 
balancing  type  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  If  it  is  desired  that  the  tail  move, 
it  may  be  fitted  up  as  suggested  for  the  head. 

All  movable  parts  must  turn  freely.  A  wire  may  be  used  for  the 
axle  instead  of  a  rod.  For  the  cam,  a  projection  can  be  soldered  to 
the  wire,  or  the  wire  can  be  bent  "  U  "-shaped  in  the  middle  to  give 
the  cam  effect  and  thus  take  the  place  of  the  projection.  The  "  U  " 
shape  or  crank  projection  pushes  the  movable  part  back  and  forth. 

Wheels  can  be  turned  on  the  lathe,  or  sawed  from  a  round  piece  of 
wood,  or  made  with  a  washer  cutter,  or  spools  and  button  molds  used. 

Animal  forms  made  to  stand  are  suggested  by  the  goat,  donkey, 
and  elephant  in  the  photograph.  The  body  part  can  be  made  solid 
with  grooves  cut  in  the  ends  to  receive  the  head  or  tail.  The  head 
can  fit  between  the  two  sides  of  the  body,  and  the  legs  and  arms 
fitted  on  each  side.  The  movable  parts  should  not  swing  freely,  but 


ANIMALS  WITH  MOVABLE  PARTS 


103 


2.  50DIES 4-"    X  %"  X  7Ji 

4  WHEELS—  2."  W^T  X  Ki" 
I  AXLE. DOWEL  Z.VVLOMG 


SCALE 

I  '  l  '  I  '  i  '  i, 

L-sl^J r* 


3  WHEELLS 


must  fit  tightly  on  the  pivot  so  that  they  may  hold  in  any  position. 
The  toys  made  by  the  Dux  Toy  Company,  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  offer 
many  suggestions  for  problems,  such  as  the  movable  jaw,  head,  or  leg, 
of  dogs,  ducks,  frogs,  alligators,  grasshoppers,  chickens,  or  birds. 


104 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SPREADER  —  PRESS  —  CASE.  The  insect  spreader  as  sug- 
gested in  Fig.  1  is  lined  with  cork  or  soft  wood  or  cardboard.  Note 
that  the  top  pieces  are  inclined  slightly  toward  the  middle.  To  con- 
struct, first  bevel  the  top  pieces  and  then  fasten  them  to  the  cross 
pieces.  Next  fasten  on  the  pieces  of  cork  or  soft  wood,  and  lastly 
nail  on  the  bottom.  Dr.  Hodge's  chapter  on  "  Insect  Study  "  should 
be  read  before  attempting  work  in  mounting.1 

The  construction  of  the  mounting  case  is  shown  in  Fig.  3.  On  a 
piece  of  glass  the  desired  size  of  the  case  fasten  narrow  strips  of  wood 
just  the  thickness  of  the  largest  specimen.  Fasten  the  strips  to  the 
edge  of  the  glass  with  shellac,  and  you  have  a  box  with  glass  bottom 
and  wooden  sides  the  depth  of  the  largest  specimen.  The  specimen 
should  be  fastened  to  the  glass  with  minute  drops  of  glue  where  it 
touches  the  glass.  Glue  sometimes  dries  so  hard  that  it  scales  off  on 
the  glass.  To  prevent  this,  twenty  drops  of  glycerine  should  be 
added  to  each  ounce  of  glue.  After  the  specimens  are  set,  cover  the 
box  with  a  piece  of  glass  just  the  size  of  the  bottom  piece  and  bind 
the  two  glass  covers  to  the  box  with  a  strip  of  gummed  passepartout 
tape  around  the  edge  wide  enough  to  hide  the  wooden  frame.  This 
method  of  mounting  suggested  by  Dr.  Hodge  enables  one  to  see  both 
sides  of  the  insects,  which  is  a  great  advantage  over  the  old  plan. 

In  the  construction  of  the  press  as  suggested  in  Fig.  2,  two  nails 
should  be  put  in  each  lap.  The  nails  should  be  long  enough  to  be 

1  C.  F.  Hodge,  Nature-stuJy  in  Life,  p.  56. 


SPREADER  —  PRESS  —  CASE 


105 


SPREADER- PRESS -CASE! 


TOPVIEW 


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bent  over  and  clinched.  Two  sides  must  be  made.  Two  pieces  of 
bookbinder's  board  or  heavy  cardboard  should  be  used  between  the 
two  sides.  To  hold  the  straps  in  place  put  on  strips  of  leather,  or 
strips  of  metal  as  shown  in  the  photograph. 


106 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


THE  ROLLER  COASTER.  In  hilly  localities  there  is  always 
a  great  demand  for  the  roller  coaster.  For  most  boys  the  making  of 
the  wheels  and  axles  is  a  difficult  undertaking  and  is  apt  to  result  in 
discouragement.  For  satisfactory  results,  they  should  be  of  hard 
wood,  turned  on  the  lathe  or  sawed  on  the  band  saw,  and  accurately 
bored.  If  it  is  desirable  to  secure  them  ready  made  it  will  be  found 
that  some  woodworking  mills  are  always  willing  to  use  up  their  scrap 
lumber  in  making  them,  provided  a  sufficiently  large  order  is  given. 
The  most  convenient  and  inexpensive  way  is  to  arrange  with  the 
local  toy  or  candy  shop  to  buy  them  wholesale  and  retail  them  to 
the  boys  as  needed.  Sets  of  two  sizes  are  manufactured  by  E.  B. 
Estes  &  Sons,  74  Warren  Street,  New  York  City.  The  wheels  of  the 
smaller  size  are  3|"  in  diameter  by  f"  thick,  and  the  axles  are  15" 
long  by  |"  square ;  the  wheels  of  the  larger  size  are  5|"  in  diameter 
by  |"  thick,  and  the  axles  are  19"  long  by  f"  square.  These  are  sold 
to  the  trade  by  E.  B.  Estes  &  Sons,  so  as  to  retail  the  smaller  size 
with  a  reasonable  profit  at  ten  cents  per  set  (4  wheels  and  2  axles). 
They  are  of  a  hard  wood  and  reasonably  well  made. 

The  simplest  form  of  roller  coaster  is  herewith  shown.  It  is  made 
by  fastening  the  axles  directly  to  the  body  board.  A  heavy  cord 
fastened  to  the  front  axle  can  be  used  for  steering,  and  a  cross  piece 
can  be  used  for  a  foot  rest  as  shown  in  Fig.  1.  The  heel  of  the  shoe 
touching  the  ground  serves  the  purpose  of  a  brake.  In  the  wheels 
and  axles  sold  by  E.  B.  Estes  &  Sons,  three  kinds  of  holes  are  already 


THE  ROLLER  COASTER 


107 


ROLLER-COASTER 


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provided  in  the  axles :  a  bolt  hole  in  the  center  of  the  front  axle,  holes 
for  screws  to  fasten  the  axle  to  the  body  board,  and  holes  for  nails  at 
the  ends  of  the  axles  to  prevent  the  wheels  from  coming  off.  For 
further  construction  of  Roller  Coasters  see  pages  126  and  127. 


108 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


TABLES.  See  page  xxi  for  general  suggestions  on  furniture  con- 
struction. The  simplest  type  of  a  table  is  that  shown  in  Fig.  4  and 
in  the  photograph.  This  type  of  construction  has  already  been  de- 
scribed in  rustic  furniture  on  pages  18  and  19.  The  usual  type  of 
table  construction  is  that  in  which  the  rails  are  mortised  into  the  legs, 
but  for  our  purpose  this  type  requires  too  much  technique  and  takes 
too  much  time  for  construction. 

Fig.  1  shows  the  square  legs  with  the  rails  fastened  around  the 
outside  of  them.  This  construction  with  the  legs  tapered  is  shown 
in  the  photograph.  To  construct,  fasten  the  end  rails  to  the  legs 
first,  next  fasten  on  the  side  rails,  and  lastly  the  top.  If  no  nail  holes 
are  desired  in  the  top,  blocks  must  be  used  to  glue  the  top  to  the  side 
rails.  In  Fig.  2  the  legs  are  each  made  of  two  pieces  joined  at  the 
edge,  forming  a  right  angle.  To  construct,  first  nail  the  wide  part  of 
the  leg  to  the  end  rail,  letting  it  project  the  thickness  of  the  rail  plus 
the  thickness  of  the  leg  piece.  Next  fasten  the  side  rails  in  place,  and 
lastly  fasten  the  side  pieces  of  the  leg  in  place,  being  careful  to  have 
a  tight  joint  in  the  leg.  Be  sure  to  chamfer  or  round  the  bottom  edges. 

Tables  with  round,  square,  or  octagonal  tops  can  best  be  constructed 
as  in  Figs.  4  and  5.  In  the  Fig.  4  type  of  table  the  shelf  and  the  rail 
piece  should  be  thick  enough  to  act  as  braces.  They  should  be  shaped 
up  together  by  pinning  the  pieces  together  with  two  nails  or  brads. 
The  edges  must  be  perfectly  square,  and  the  legs  securely  fastened  to 
them. 


TABLES 


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In  Fig.  5  the  pedestal  and  feet  can  be  cut  from  a  solid  block,  but 
a  crosslap  joint  is  therein  suggested.  The  foot  pieces  are  set  up  into 
one  end  of  the  pedestal,  and  the  top  of  the  table  fastened  to  the  opposite 
end. 


110 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


MORRIS  CHAIRS.    For  furniture  construction,  see  page  xxi. 

The  morris  chair  leads  in  interest  with  both  boys  and  girls.  In 
this  construction  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  has  not  been  planned 
full  size  for  ordinary  use,  but  for  doll  furniture  to  be  readily  made 
by  young  children.  When  well  put  together  it  stands  hard  usage. 

To  assemble  the  chair  as  shown  in  the  drawing,  first  fasten  the  legs 
to  the  seat  with  one  brad  in  each  leg,  and  then  fasten  the  rails  to  the 
legs,  first  the  side  rails  and  then  the  front  and  back  rails.  Before 
putting  the  back  rail  into  place,  secure  the  back  of  the  chair  to  it  by 
means  of  a  strip  of  leather  or  cloth,  so  as  to  hold  in  place  the  stop  for 
the  back,  and  then  fasten  the  arms  on  top  of  the  posts  and  legs. 

If  better  construction  is  desired,  the  rails  can  be  gained  into  the 
legs  as  suggested  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  bottom  view. 
The  morris  chair  to  the  right  in  the  photograph  is  also  of  this  construc- 
tion, while  in  the  one  to  the  left  the  construction  is  of  the  simpler  type. 

If  cushions  are  not  used,  the  rails  must  be  high  enough  so  that 
the  top  of  the  seat  is  the  proper  height  and  even  with  the  top  of  rails. 

Cushions  can  be  made  with  one  seam  as  the  ones  on  the  chair 
shown  in  the  photograph.  The  more  desirable  ones  are  made  like 
those  shown  between  the  two  chairs.  This  construction  is  suggested 
in  the  drawing.  One  piece  each  is  cut  for  the  top  and  the  bottom, 
and  one  strip  for  sides  and  ends.  These  sewed  together  make  a 
rectangular  box  shape.  Leave  one  seam  partly  open,  pack  with  cot- 
ton, and  then  sew  this  seam  up.  To  hold  the  cotton  in  place  and  to 


MORRIS  CHAIRS 


111 


LIFE  SIZE  MORRIS  CHAIR  FOR  IOHTO  ir  DOLLS 

SCALE 


I  STRIP    (SIDES). 


prevent  the  cotton  from  massing  in  one  place,  tack  through  from  top 

to  bottom  in  several  places  as  shown  in  the  side  view  of  the  drawing. 

If  the  rails  have  been  gained  into  the  legs,  the  inside  of  the  chair 

will  be  ^"  wider;  and  the  cushion  should  be  |"  wider  than  planned. 


112 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


BEDS.  For  remarks  on  furniture  construction,  see  general  sug- 
gestions on  page  xxi.  The  construction  of  the  bed  (Fig.  1  of  the  draw- 
ing) is  shown  in  the  photograph.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this 
type  of  furniture  construction  is  not  designed  full  size  for  ordinary 
use  in  the  home,  but  for  the  furnishing  of  the  doll  house  to  be  made 
by  the  young  children.  The  rails  of  the  head  and  foot  pieces  are 
gained  into  the  posts,  and  the  uprights  of  the  head  and  foot  pieces  are 
nailed  to  these  rails  on  the  inside,  as  seen  on  the  right  in  the  photograph. 
If  less  work  is  desired,  the  rails  can  be  nailed  directly  to  the  posts  with- 
out gaining  them  in,  and  the  uprights  can  be  omitted  as  is  shown  on 
the  left  in  the  photograph.  If  even  less  work  than  this  is  desired, 
the  head  and  foot  boards  can  be  made  solid  of  a  single  piece  each.  The 
main  objection  to  this  is  that  pieces  this  wide  are  liable  to  split  warp. 

To  assemble  the  parts,  fasten  all  of  the  pieces  of  the  headboard 
together  with  glue  and  nails.  Two  nails  should  be  used  in  each  joint 
at  the  end  of  the  uprights  so  as  to  brace  the  pieces  properly.  Next, 
fasten  the  slat  supports  to  the  inside  of  the  side  rails  to  the  head  and 
foot  boards.  To  prevent  the  slats  from  getting  lost,  fasten  them  in 
place  with  a  drop  of  glue  and  a  brad  at  each  end. 

A  crib  can  be  made  by  making  the  bed  a  smaller  size,  but  with 
the  side  rails  higher  to  prevent  the  baby  from  rolling  out. 

If  a  cradle  is  desired,  make  a  box  with  the  end  pieces  wide  and 
long  enough  to  form  the  rockers.  A  medium  size  cigar  box  may  be 
used,  and  the  rockers  fastened  to  the  ends. 


BEDS 


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Mattresses  can  be  made  of  a  cloth  covering  and  stuffed  with  cotton, 
excelsior,  or  hair.  It  should  be  tacked  through  from  top  to  bottom 
in  several  places  to  keep  the  stuffing  in  place.  For  further  description 
of  mattresses  see  pages  1 1 0  and  111. 


114 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


GARDEN  TOOLS.  These  tools  can  be  used  in  the  sand  pile  or 
in  the  garden  after  the  hard  soil  has  first  been  broken  up. 

After  the  working  edges  of  the  hoe  and  the  spade  have  been  tapered 
to  5"  or  less  in  thickness,  a  piece  of  tin  or  thin  sheet  iron  should  be 
fastened  around  it  with  common  wire  nails  long  enough  so  that  they 
can  be  bent  .over  and  clinched.  The  handles  make  excellent  problems 
in  round  modeling.  See  pages  60  and  61.  For  the  larger  children 
the  handle  should  be  1"  in  diameter  or  better  still,  J"  x  1J". 

Broom  sticks  make  excellent  handles  for  the  hoe  and  the  rake. 
When  boring  the  holes  for  the  handles,  note  that  the  handle  of  the 
hoe  inclines  slightly  toward  the  front  edge,  and  that  the  handle  of 
the  rake  slants  slightly  away  from  this  edge.  The  size  of  the  hole  in 
the  rake  block  should  not  be  larger  than  f '  in  diameter.  Fasten  the 
handles  in  with  glue,  and  secure  by  hammering  a  nail  in  from  the  top. 

A  simple,*  but  less  strong,  rake  can  be  made  by  fastening  the  handle 
to  the  top  surface  of  the  block  piece.  The  teeth  for  the  rake  should 
be  made  of  1 0d,  common  wire  nails.  To  prevent  the  block  piece  from 
splitting,  |"  holes  must  be  bored  which  are  slightly  smaller  than  the 
diameter  of  the  nail.  The  nails  must  fit  tightly.  Tack  a  piece  of 
sheet  iron  over  the  heads  of  the  nails. 

In  making  the  spade,  the  top  crosspiece  and  the  blade  must  be 
securely  fastened  to  the  handle.  Glue  and  fasten  them  with  small 
carriage  or  stove  bolts,  or  with  nails  long  enough  for  the  points  to  be 
bent  over  and  clinched.  The  top  end  of  the  handle  can  be  cross-lapped 


GARDEN  TOOLS 


115 


1. 1 

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tmhh 


into  the  top  piece  and  the  lower  end  recessed  into  the  blade  |"  or  ^". 
For  a  snow  shovel  the  beveled  part  of  the  handle  can  be  fastened 
to  the  front  of  the  blade,  and  the  blade  can  be  made  twice  as  wide. 
The  handle  should  be  made  without  the  cross-piece. 


116 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SEESAW  AND  SAND  BOX.  The  teeter  or  seesaw,  as  sug- 
gested by  Fig.  1,  can  be  made  any  length  and  height  desired.  The 
teeter  board  should  be  straight-grained.  The  ends  of  it  can  be  cut 
round,  and  the  edges  should  be  well  rounded  off.  The  lock  block 
should  be  cut  to  receive  the  pivot  and  then  fastened  with  screws  to 
the  center  of  the  board.  To  prevent  the  board  from  wearing  in  the 
center,  a  strip  of  sheet  metal  can  be  fastened  to  the  board  where  it 
comes  in  contact  with  the  pivot.  The  pivot  can  be  of  iron  or  steel 
f"  in  diameter ;  and,  if  for  use  by  the  larger  children,  it  should  be  1 ". 

The  uprights  should  be  driven  into  the  ground  far  enough  to  secure 
a  firm  foundation.  If  it  is  desired  to  move  the  teeter  from  place  to 
place,  a  base  can  be  used  nstead.  This  would  require  fastening  the 
uprights  to  a  rectangular  frame  and  securing  it  firmly  by  means  of 
braces  in  both  directions.  The  arrangement  shown  in  Fig.  1  allows 
for  the  removal  of  the  board  so  that  it  can  be  put  indoors  out  of  the 
weather.  S.trips  fastened  across  the  ends  of  the  uprights  will  lock  the 
board  in  place  and  thus  prevent  it  from  being  removed. 

Fig.  2  is  a  suggested  construction  of  a  sand  box  8  feet  square. 
Strips  across  the  corners,  at  the  top  and  the  bottom,  are  suggested 
for  the  braces.  They  are  shown  fastened  to  the  edges  of  the  sides, 
but  a  much  stronger  construction  is  to  let  them  down  into  the  edge 
of  the  sides.  Large  angle  irons  can  take  the  place  of  the  wooden  braces. 
Strips  of  sheet  metal  fastened  along  the  corners  on  the  outside  will 
also  help  to  hold  the  corners  together. 


SEESAW  AND  SAND  BOX 


17 


5EE-5AW  -  SAND-BOX 


SIDCVIELW 


-*  GROUND  LI  It C+ 


FIG. 


STOCK 
I   TEETER  BOARO_  8  "  X  I%"X  I6'-Q" 

^.  UPRIGHTS 6"  X  *"   X,5"-0' 

I   LOC  K  BLOC  K 7£"  X  I  %"  A  1 1" 

I    I  ROM  PIVOT 34"*3«'V'X  15" 


SCALE 


FIG. 


-8-0- 


5 IDE  |  |VIEW 
I 


STOCK 

4-  SIDES 10"  X  IJ^"  XS'-O" 

4  TOP  BRACES i>i"  A  >1"  X  U" 

4  BOTTOM  BRACES-i/al'  X  ^"  X  2.0" 


If  the  box  is  to  be  covered,  it  should  be  made  narrower.  If  the  box 
is  4  feet  wide,  the  lid  can  be  made  of  four  boards  12"  wide.  Fasten 
them  together  with  strap  hinges.  If  the  wooden  lid  is  not  desirable 
on  account  of  weight,  make  a  rectangular  frame  with  a  canvas  cover. 


18 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


JOINTED  DOLLS.  These  dolls  can  easily  be  made  by  the  younger 
children  if  a  plain  construction  is  used  such  as  suggested  in  Fig.  1. 
Considerable  care  is  necessary  in  locating  the  position  of  the  nails 
and  in  putting  them  in,  else  they  are  liable  to  split  the  wood  and 
necessitate  making  the  pieces  over  again. 

The  slip  joint  construction  as  suggested  in  Fig.  2  requires  much 
time  and  very  careful  work.  The  size  suggested  in  the  drawing  is 
one-sixth  life  size,  but  for  the  younger  children  this  size  is  somewhat 
too  small.  If  a  large  size  is  desired,  such  as  one-fourth  life  size,  the 
best  plan  is  to  measure  the  size  from  life  and  divide  by  four.  This 
will  make  a  doll  about  16"  instead  of  10"  or  11"  high. 

In  selecting  the  material  it  is  very  necessary  that  perfectly  straight 
grain  wood  is  selected,  else  the  pieces  will  break  off  at  the  joints.  In 
cutting  the  parts  simplify  the  outline.  The  dowel  in  the  head  should 
be  a  tight  fit,  but  readily  adjustable.  All  the  joints  should  be  tight 
so  as  to  be  able  to  hold  any  pose  desired.  After  locating  the  position 
of  the  nails  or  dowels,  be  careful  to  bore  the  holes  at  perfect  right 
angles  to  the  surface  of  the  wood.  If  wire  nails  are  used  for  the  joints, 
the  ends  can  be  bent  over  and  clinched.  If  a  large-sized  doll  is  made, 
|"  stove  bolts  can  be  used  and  the  nut  on  the  end  can  be  sunk  into  the 
wood  below  the  surface.  The  bolts  can  be  run  across  the  entire  width 
at  the  shoulders  and  the  hips. 

Such  dolls  in  the  drawing  room  serve  excellently  for  poses.  Dolls 
to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  house  and  the  home  furnishings 


JOINTED  DOLLS 


119 


FIG.  2. 


FIG.  I 


Z  UPPER 
^xH 

i  fORt  ARM8 

Ki'x^a11 

2.ThlSH  LEGS 
3&Wd£ 

lC\LF  LEGS 


FRONT  VIE.W 


SIDE.  VIEW 
£31 


should  be  an  appropriate  size.  Clothing  to  be  put  on  and  taken  off 
can  be  made  for  them.  The  boy  dressed,  as  shown  in  the  photograph, 
is  one  of  the  "  Do  With  "  models  manufactured  by  C.  Pratt,  9  Jones 
Street,  New  York  City. 


120  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


RUNNING  GRASSHOPPER.  The  grasshopper  affords  play  for 
individuality  in  design.  This  can  best  be  done  by  cutting  paper 
outlines  and  using  them  as  templates.  Make  the  body  wide  to  keep 
it  from  tipping  over.  If  a  narrow  piece  is  used  for  the  body,  it  is 
necessary  to  fasten  lead  or  other  metal  to  the  underneath  part  of  the 
body  to  avoid  toppling  over. 

The  legs  can  be  fastened  to  the  body  at  the  shoulders,  or  they  can 
be  fastened  to  the  wheels  as  shown  in  the  photograph.  The  rear  end 
of  the  leg  should  be  fastened  to  the  outside  of  the  wheel  in  order  to 
get  the  up-and-down  eccentric  movement.  The  wings  may  be  fastened 
so  as  to  be  stationary ;  but  if  desired,  a  movement  of  the  wings  can 
be  arranged.  A  slot  in  the  wing  through  which  a  screw  can  be  entered 
and  fastened  to  the  back  part  of  the  leg  will  admit  of  an  up-and-down 
movement  of  the  wing  with  every  revolution  of  the  rear  wheels,  as 
is  shown  in  the  drawing  and  in  the  middle  figure  of  the  photograph. 

A  ratchet  wheel  can  be  arranged  underneath  to  give  forth  a  click- 
ing sound  such  as  described  on  pages  96-98.  If  so,  the  axle  for  the  front 
wheels  must  be  of  one  piece  and  fastened  tightly  to  the  wheels.  On 
the  middle  of  this  front  axle  must  be  tightly  fastened  the  ratchet  wheel, 
which  can  be  made  from  an  empty  spool.  The  underneath  part  of 
the  body  must  be  cut  or  hollowed  out  to  receive  this  wheel ;  and  on  the 
bottom  of  the  body  must  be  fastened  a  thin  strip,  so  arranged  that 
the  free  end  of  the  strip  will  touch  the  ratchet  teeth,  which  revolv- 
ing, sets  the  strip  vibrating  and  produces  a  clicking  sound. 


RUNNING  GRASSHOPPER 


121 


RUNNING  GRASSHOPPER 


[  BACK  3  LtG      V_| 

—  ":     o  i  '    "'"•*                     —  -  if  ]J         ; 

jrJ™Tj 

*                                                        y.i 

BODY                                          "l4" 

'!              •• 
,r»  »\  H  SCREW 

n       ^                                                                                               'V 

wmt{ 

.  i  —  ~  —  "  j  .   WI^A       ~            ',  y 

-4  i" 


i  BODY z."  \ i%"*i4y'i"    i  TORE:  LE&S- KX^XZA."  2.  wi nos 3A"  * J4"xn" 

' J,"      2.  Bf^c^ LE:GS_ MC*M£ 


Large  spools  can  be  used  for  the  wheels.  The  grasshopper  can  be 
made  large  enough  for  the  children  to  ride  upon.  If  so,  use  the  roller 
coaster  wheels  as  suggested  on  page  106.  If  desired  make  the  head 
movable  on  a  cam  or  balance,  as  on  pages  1 02  and  1 03, 


122  MANUAL  TRAINING  —  PLAY  PROBLEMS 


SAILBOAT.  The  sailboat  herewith  suggested  has  had  a  great 
demand  in  the  vacation  schools. 

The  hull  is  made  of  f"  or  If"  stuff.  A  good  outline  of  the  two 
sides  can  be  obtained  by  taking  a  piece  of  paper  the  size  desired, 
doubling  it  lengthwise,  and  cutting  with  scissors  or  knife.  Be  sure 
that  the  greatest  width  is  in  the  forward  half.  After  the  desired 
shape  is  obtained,  the  paper  can  be  glued  to  the  top  surface  of  the 
wood,  or  the  outline  can  be  traced.  Trim  to  shape,  then  on  the  center 
line  bore  one  hole  for  the  mast  forward  of  the  center  and  one  hole 
near  the  end  for  the  rudder.  Cut  out  the  keel  and  fasten  in  place 
with  nails  or  screws  from  the  top  side.  Next,  cut  out  the  rudder  and 
trim  the  upper  end  round  to  fit  and  turn  freely  in  the  hole  already  bored. 
The  rudder  must  be  slipped  into  the  hull  piece  before  fastening  on  the 
handle,  which  must  be  done  securely  with  glue.  Next,  take  the  strip 
of  tin  or  sheet  metal  and  fasten  it  to  the  bottom  edge  of  the  keel  and 
the  rudder.  With  one  nail  in  the  rudder,  the  metal  will  hold  the  rudder 
up  in  place  and  yet  allow  it  to  swing  around  on  this  pivot. 

The  mast  can  now  be  tapered  and  fitted  tightly  in  the  hole  pre- 
viously bored  for  it.  Strips  of  wire  can  be  bound  to  one  end  each  of 
the  gaff  and  the  boom,  to  form  loops  which. must  be  large  enough  to 
let  them  slip  into  place  over  the  mast.  A  piece  of  waterproof  cloth 
can  be  used  for  the  sails.  Fasten  them  as  shown  in  the  drawing  with 
a  cord  to  the  top  of  the  mast.  Two  nails  should  be  driven  into  the 
hull  for  the  cleat  to  which  the  boom  is  fastened  by  means  of  a  cord. 


SAILBOAT 


123 


SAILBOAT 

TOPVIE.W  WITHOUT  SAIL- 


^" X  IS"' 
#"X  H" 
6"  X  S" 

^a"  Xv2% 
IW5T_  M"X/1"  X  16" 


I  LEAD—  Jd'X 

I  TIN  _  4>V'     X.    2." 


..3: 

ka    i  1e 
DOTTOPI  vicv 
or  RUDDC.R 

I         °-fr  G_^_J 


VIEW 
WITHOUT  MAST 


SCALE 


Fasten  enough  ballast  of  lead  or  other  metal  to  the  keel  to  keep  the 
boat  upright  in  a  stiff  wind.  The  farther  the  ballast  is  below  the  water 
line,  the  more  effective  it  is  in  keeping  the  boat  upright.  When  the 
keel  is  not  very  deep,  the  ballast  can  be  suspended  by  means  of  wires. 


124  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


WHEELBARROW  AND  WAGON.  Wheelbarrows  and  wagons 
should  be  made  large  enough  for  practical  use  in  the  garden  and  the 
sand  pile.  The  larger  size  can  be  made  more  satisfactorily  than  the 
small  toy  size,  and  if  properly  constructed  will  last  for  years. 

The  wheel  for  the  barrow  can  be  obtained  from  some  discarded 
wagon,  or  it  can  be  sawed  out  from  a  solid  piece  of  hard  wood,  or 
bought  at  the  store.  See  page  106.  If  the  axle  is  made  of  a  square 
piece  as  suggested  by  Fig.  1 ,  a  square  hole  must  be  made  in  the  center 
of  the  wheel,  and  the  ends  of  the  axle  rounded  so  as  to  revolve  in  holes 
bored  in  the  ends  of  the  shafts.  If  a  round  rod  or  dowel  is  used  for 
the  axle,  the  wheel  must  be  securely  fastened  to  it.  Round  the  handles 
of  the  shafts.  The  bottom  piece  must  be  cut  out  so  that  the  grain 
runs  across  and  not  lengthwise. 

To  put  together  the  wheelbarrow  as  shown  in  Fig.  1,  first  fasten 
the  wheel  to  the  center  of  the  axle  and  slip  the  axle  into  the  holes  in 
the  ends  of  the  shafts.  The  axle  can  be  held  in  place  by  means  of 
nails  or  cotter  pins.  The  holes  should  be  waxed  before  slipping  the 
axle  into  place.  Now  fasten  the  bottom  to  the  shafts,  nailing  it  securely 
in  place.  Next,  fasten  the  back  and  side  pieces  in  place.  Lastly, 
fasten  the  legs  very  securely  to  the  sides  of  the  barrow  by  clinching 
the  nails  or  by  the  use  of  bolts.  The  use  of  angle  irons  or  strips  of 
metal  at  the  corners  makes  a  strong  barrow.  The  wagon  body  (Fig. 
2)  is  a  box  with  one  end  arranged  as  a  tailboard.  Use  angle  irons 
or  strips  of  metal  to  reenforce  the  corners.  For  fastening  the  wheels 


WHEELBARROW  AND  WAGON 


125 


WHEEL-BARROW  AMD  WAGON 


STOCK  FOR  WHEEL-  BARROW 

2.  HANDLES  _  |^."*a/4."  X  36" 
X.  LEGS  _  IJ4"X>t"  \  15" 
I  WHEEL1  --  5  '/i."  DIAM.  X.  T/&" 
I  AXLE1__3/V  X-W  /N||" 
2.  61  DELS  _  7  "  X  >i"  X  /3>l" 
I  BOTTOM  _  IS/*."  X  >i"  X  /3>i" 


I  BACI\ 


7"   x, 


"»o 

I 


TOP  VIEW 


(4" 


6TOCKFORWA60MBODY 

I  BOTTOM 14"  X  H" 

2.  SIDES 6"  X.  yjC' 

t    EHft  (,"  X  ^" 

I    TAILBOARD- S&" 

4  GUIDES /  "   X 

I    SET  OF  WHEELS  AMD  AXLES  WITH  AXLE  BLOCKS 


(CJI 


SCALE: 


-is'- 


1. 


II 

III 

,  II  I 

.UJ 


5IOE  VIEW 


and  axles  see  Roller  Coasters  on  page  1 26.  A  board  or  part  of  a  pack- 
ing box  can  be  used  for  the  seat.  Long  nails  can  be  used  to  fasten 
the  shafts  to  the  axle  block,  but  a  bolt  running  the  full  width  of  the 
wagon  body  is  best.  A  harnessed  goat  or  dog  can  be  used  to  draw  it. 


126 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


ROLLER  COASTERS.  For  suggestions  concerning  wheels  and 
axles,  see  page  106.  As  shown  in  Fig.  1 ,  the  rear  axles  can  be  fastened 
to  the  body  with  nails  or  screws.  A  large  nail  can  be  used  to  pivot 
the  front  axle,  but  a  bolt  is  much  better.  A  washer  between  the  front 
axle  and  the  body  enables  the  front  axle  to  turn  easily.  The  cotter 
pins  are  best  to  keep  the  wheels  on,  but  nails  with  the  ends  turned  are 
sufficient.  Grease  the  axles  before  putting  on  the  wheels. 

The  body  board  is  cut  away  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  combination 
seat  and  tool  box  can  be  made  by  hinging  the  top  of  the  box  as  seen 
in  the  photograph.  An  auto  effect  can  be  made  by  the  arrangement 
of  several  boxes  of  suitable  size.  The  steering  can  be  done  with  a  rope 
as  seen  in  the  photograph,  or  with  the  feet  as  arranged  for  in  Figs.  1 
and  2.  The  front  of  the  body  board  must  be  narrow  to  give  room  for 
the  feet  on  either  side.  If  very  accurate  mortise  and  tenon  work 
can  be  done,  an  upright  with  a  steering  wheel  or  crossbar,  as  shown  in 
the  photograph,  can  be  used.  This  will  take  the  place  of  the  bolt.  A 
hard  wood  broom  handle  makes  a  good  upright.  At  one  end  cut  a 
tenon  about  ^"  by  f ",  as  suggested  in  Fig.  3.  Cut  a  mortise  in  the 
front  axle  to  receive  this  tenon,  and  fasten  it  securely  into  place. 

Three  forms  of  brakes  are  herewith  shown:  Fig.  2  and  the  photo- 
graph show  a  direct  wheel  brake  and  a  ground  brake ;  and  the  second 
figure  in  the  photograph  shows  a  brake-shoe  arrangement. 

If  more  finish  is  desired,  carefully  round  or  run  f "  or  ^"  chamfers 
all  around  the  top  edge  of  the  body-board.  If  large  boxes  are  to  be 


ROLLER  COASTERS 


127 


ROLLER-COASTER 


SIDE  VIEW 
SCALE 


1 

I 

: 

i 

V 
J-  END  VIEW 

15= 

<-£-£> 

__.| 1 


5TEE.RJI1& 
WttLEL 
POST 


CUD  CUT 

T&nrflom3e.%t£ 

m  fRonT  (W-E    '" 


FI6.3 


hauled,  the  body  must  be  raised  above  the  wheels  by  means  of  the 
blocks  as  seen  in  Fig.  2,  so  that  the  top  surface  of  the  body  will  clear 
the  top  of  the  wheels.  If  this  is  done,  a  large  packing  box  may  take 
the  place  of  the  body  board. 


128 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


VAULTING  POLE  —  STANDARD  —  HURDLE.  The  vaulting 
pole  should  be  made  of  a  strong,  straight  grained,  light  weight  wood 
such  as  white  pine  or  spruce.  For  the  younger  boys,  make  it  6  feet 
long  by  1|"  diameter.  Cut  square;  then  model  round.  See  page  60. 

Drive  a  large  nail  or  a  piece  of  steel 
into  the  end.  Let  it  project  at  least 
an  inch  and  be  ground  or  filed  to  a 
point.  To  prevent  splitting,  wrap 
with  fine  wire  for  several  inches. 

The  vaulting  or  jumping  standard 
involves  the  crosslap,  and  mortise 
and  tenon  joints.  Cut  the  tenon  on 
the  end  of  the  upright  with  a  j" 
shoulder.  Bore  the  holes  for  the 
pegs,  upon  which  the  cords  rest, 
at  right  angles  to  the  length  of  the 
upright.  Cut  a  j"  chamfer  or  round 
on  the  upper  corners  of  the  foot 
pieces.  The  sharp  corners  of  the 
uprights  should  be  taken  off.  Paint 
the  figures  on  the  upright  before 
assembling  the  pieces.  In  fastening 
the  parts  together  be  careful  that 
the  upright  is  at  perfect  right  angles 
to  the  foot.  A  4"  angle  iron  fas- 
tened at  each  side  is  necessary. 

Dowels  or  large  sized  nails  can 
be  used  to  hold  the  cord.  For  the 
cord  use  a  piece  of  fine  rope  about 
1 2  feet  long,  at  each  end  of  which  fasten  a  triangular  shaped  bag  filled 
with  sand  or  gravel ;  and  a  piece  of  white  cloth  at  the  center. 

A  30"  hurdle  is  suggested  by  Fig.  3.  The  legs  are  fastened  to 
the  top  with  an  end-lap  joint.  If  a  If"  thickness  is  used  for  the  top 
pieces,  the  work  can  be  laid  out  as  suggested  by  the  end  view  of 
the  top  piece  in  Fig.  3.  This  joint  can  be  cut  with  the  back  saw. 


VAULTING  POLE  — STANDARD  — HURDLE 


129 


VAULTinG  POLE  -  STANDARD  -  HURDLE 


il      i  Q       -a 


., "     FIG.  I 


-twus 
fonras 


LIT    nr 


TErtOHED 

EhDOF 

UfRKiNT 

«j«« 


SIDE.  VIEW 

STOCK 

H  FEET 3*" 

I    UPRIGHT. 
4-  5TRIP5_-l>i"X.J 


FIG.*. 


2 

-  >• 

kl 


a 


EftD  OFTOP 

STOCK 

4   LEGS 3>i"  X 

2.  BRACES 3>i"X 

I    TOP 3>i 


SCALE: 


x 

"  X    10" 
"  A  4-8' 


I  POLE 

/•3/4"OIAM.A8'-0" 


a 


Fasten  with  glue  and  nails,  screws,  or  bolts.  If  nails  are  used,  clinch 
them.  If  more  advanced  technique  is  desired,  the  legs  can  be  set  into 
the  top  piece  away  from  the  ends  and  slanting  outward  so  that  the 
outer  length  at  the  bottom  of  the  hurdle  is  about  the  same  as  at  the  top. 


130 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


CHECKER,  CHESS,  AND  BAGATEL  BOARDS.  For  a 
simple  checkerboard  use  a  single  piece  of  wood,  or  the  bottom  of  a 
box.  Lay  out  the  squares  not  smaller  than  1^"  along  each  side. 
Trace  the  lines  heavily  and  blacken  each  alternate  square.  The  back 
of  the  board  can  be  laid  out  for  bagatel.  See  Fig.  3. 

For  a  folding  board,  small  butt  hinges  can  be  used,  or  a  piece  of 
strong  leather  or  cloth  can  be  glued  to  the  inside  edges  of  the  board. 

For  advanced  technique,  a  glued  up  or  "  inlaid  "  board  is  a  good 
problem.  Use  a  dark  and  a  light  wood.  Plane  up  four  strips  each, 
exactly  1|"  wide.  See  that  they  are  parallel,  with  perfectly  square 
edges.  Glue  up  with  alternating  colors  as  in  Fig.  2.  From  the  ends 
of  this  piece  cut  off  eight  strips  exactly  1  j"  wide.  See  Fig.  2.  These 
must  be  parallel,  with  perfectly  square  edges,  else  when  arranged  for 
gluing  the  squares  will  not  match  up  properly.  Arrange  the  strips 
with  the  proper  arrangement  of  squares  for  the  board  as  in  Fig.  1. 
In  this  position  glue  them  up,  being  careful  that  the  outside  edges  of 
the  large  square  thus  formed  are  at  perfect  right  angles  to  each  other. 
An  inch  border  strip  of  wood  of  another  color  about  a  middle  value 
between  the  two  kinds  of  wood  already  used,  should  be  glued  around 
the  board.  The  corners  of  this  border  can  have  a  butt  joint,  but  a 
mitred  joint  is  better.  Plane  the  board  smooth  and  level,  and  apply 
a  natural  finish  of  oil,  white  shellac,  or  varnish. 

The  twenty-four  checkers  should  be  about  1"  diameter  and  made 
of  the  same  kind  of  wood  as  the  board.  They  can  be  turned  on  the 


CHECKERS,  CHESS,  AND  BAGATEL  BOARDS 


131 


CHECKER  CHESS  OR  BAGATEL  BOARD 


en  D   ui  e.w 


FIC  I 


i 

g 


^VlV?';.?"    7"    7"    7",C7"    1\l"jj"u  7^7"     3", 

g-Tsra  i  BTaraTir   STaTsreTsTsT  4 


FIG.3 


FI6.2. 


STOCK 

4  STRIPS  OF  DARK  WOOD  l 
4  STRIPS  Of  LIGHT  WOOD  l^' 
4  STRIPS  OFHEDlUn  WOOD  I  " 


STOCK  FOR  OhE  PIECE  BOARD 

I  PIECE!  —  I  i" 


STOCK  FOR  TWO  PIECE.  BOARD 


SCALE 


lathe  or  modeled  with  the  plane.  If  necessary,  they  can  be  sawed  from 
the  end  of  a  broom  handle.  The  disks  to  be  colored  can  be  painted 
or  dipped  in  ink.  For  chessmen  round  disks  similarly  made  will 
answer  if  the  names  of  the  various  pieces  are  indicated  on  the  top. 


132 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


ROLLER  LOOM.  The  roller  loom  is  used  for  continuous  weaving. 
The  frame  is  made  with  a  slip  joint ;  but,  if  necessary,  a  plain  butt 
joint  may  be  used.  If  No.  6  screws  are  used  to  fasten  the  upright  in 
place,  a  ^"  hole  should  be  bored.  The  roller  should  revolve  freely 
in  the  upright.  The  dowel  pegs  used  for  stops  should  fit  tightly, 
else  they  are  liable  to  fall  out  and  get  lost.  A  light  tap  should  be  re- 
quired to  shift  them  in  or  out  as  desired.  The  nail  or  wire  in  the  end  of 
the  roller  should  also  be  tight  and  just  long  enough  at  each  end  to  be 
held  between  the  projecting  pegs.  Holes  must  be  bored  for  these 
nails  before  hammering  them  into  place,  else  they  will  split  the  roller. 
Note  that  these  nails  at  the  ends  of  the  roller  are  placed  at  right  angles 
to  each  other.  In  marking  off  the  33  grooves  on  the  roller,  they  should 
be  marked  off  from  the  rule  without  moving  it  so  as  to  insure  keeping 
them  exactly  even  and  within  the  8"  space.  The  33  warp  threads 
of  even  length  must  be  tied  to  the  grooves  of  one  roller,  passed  through 
the  proper  openings  in  the  heddle,  that  is,  into  the  round  holes  and 
openings  between  the  strip  alternately,  and  then  tied  to  the  grooves 
of  the  other  roller  as  shown  in  the  photograph.  See  also  page  84. 
When  a  heddle  is  used,  the  alternating  threads  are  raised  and  lowered 
with  the  one  movement  of  the  heddle  so  that  the  needle  or  shuttle 
can  be  passed  back  and  forth.  The  heddle  is  also  used  to  push  the 
thread  firmly  into  place.  As  the  weaving  progresses,  the  cloth  is 
wound  on  one  roller  and  the  thread  is  unwound  from  the  other  one. 

The  loom  has  served  as  excellent  problems  for  individual  experi- 


ROLLER  LOOM 


133 


ROLLER  LOOM 


TOP  VIELW 


SIDE.  VIE1W 


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mentation.  Many  mechanical  contrivances  to  facilitate  the  work  of 
weaving  have  been  worked  out  by  classes.  Many  types  of  the  heddles 
have  been  constructed,  of  which  the  one  shown  in  the  drawing  is  the 
best.  Looms  requiring  more  complex  processes  can  be  constructed. 


134  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


AQUARIA  OR  VIVARIA.  Every  schoolroom  should  have  one  or 
more  fairly  large  aquaria  so  as  to  study  the  various  forms  of  life  at 
first  hand.  Filled  with  water,  many  forms  of  aquatic  life  can  be  stud- 
ied ;  filled  with  earth  it  can  be  used  as  a  root  cage  to  study  plant  life 
at  first  hand ;  while  with  air  alone  it  can  be  used  as  a  breeding  cage 
to  study  animal  life. 

The  aquarium  suggested  by  the  drawing  is  a  good  size  for  practical 
purposes  in  the  school.  With  a  partition  in  the  middle,  two  different 
kinds  of  aquatic  life  can  be  housed.  For  convenient  handling  by  the 
children  and  for  home  uses,  the  single  small  aquarium  is  best.  Many 
good  objections  are  made  to  the  usual  wooden  aquarium.  The  one 
suggested,  although  of  wood,  is  not  that  of  the  usual  wooden  type. 
The  best  type  of  construction  for  the  frame  is  the  one  made  of  metal  as 
suggested  by  Dr.  Hodge  in  Nature  Study  and  Life  on  page  394.  In 
some  schools  or  homes,  however,  the  construction  of  the  metal  frame 
is  not  possible.  The  wooden  frame  herewith  designed  has  been 
planned  to  meet  such  conditions.  When  constructed  properly,  it 
has  been  found  to  serve  its  purpose  very  satisfactorily. 

The  method  of  construction  is  as  follows :  First  fasten  the  battens 
on  the  bottom  board,  and  cover  the  upper  surface  and  edges  with 
enamel,  copal  varnish,  tin,  oilcloth,  or  some  substance  that  is  water- 
proof. This  protection  for  the  wood  is  necessary,  otherwise,  if  the 
receptacle  leaks  ever  so  slightly,  the  bottom  board  would  swell  up 
and  cause  the  opening  of  many  of  the  joints.  Next,  nail  the  two 


AQUARIA  OR  VIVARIA 


135 


AQUARIA  OR  VIVARIA 


5 IDE  VIEW 


STOCK  FOR  DOUBLE  AQUARIUM 

I  BOTTOI1  BOARD 10"  X34"X/ 

i  BOTTOM  BATTENS 3"  X3 


STOCK  FOR  SINGLE  AQUARIUM 

60TTOM  BOARD  _  _IO"  X  %."  X 


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corner  upright  pieces  together,  and  then  nail  the  bottom  strips  in  place 
on  the  ends  of  these  uprights.  Place  in  position  on  the  bottom  board. 
Now  tack  the  top  strips  on  temporarily  with  a  nail  at  each  corner. 
The  glass  used  can  be  old  photograph  negatives,  8"  x  10",  which  may 


136  MANUAL  TRAINING  —  PLAY  PROBLEMS 

be  easily  cleaned  off  by  using  a  hot  solution  of  sal  soda  or  other  alkali. 
When  the  pieces  of  glass  are  ready  for  placing,  the  cement  should  be 
prepared.  Dr.  Hodge  suggests  several  receipts.  He  says :  "A  good 
aquarium  cement,  for  either  fresh  or  salt  water,  is  made  by  mixing 
dry  ten  parts  each,  by  measure,  of  fine,  dry,  white  sand,  plaster-of- 
Paris,  and  litharge,  and  one  part  powdered  resin.  Mix,  as  required, 
to  a  stiff  putty  with  boiled  linseed  oil.  (This  oil  must  be  warranted 
free  from  any  adulteration  with  fish  oil,  and  it  is  commonly  necessary 
to  buy  raw  oil  of  a  practical  painter,  who  should  know  that  it  is  pure, 
and  boil  it  for  a  few  minutes,  to  drive  off  the  water  in  the  raw  oil.) 
The  simplest  and  best  aquarium  cement,  the  formula  of  which  has 
been  given  me  recently  by  the  United  States  Fish  Commission,  is 
made  as  follows :  Stir  together  dry,  by  weight,  eight  parts  putty  (dry 
whiting),  one  part  red  lead,  and  one  part  litharge.  Mix,  as  wanted 
for  use,  with  pure  raw  linseed  oil,  to  a  consistency  of  stiff  putty."  1 

To  lay  the  glass,  first  put  a  thin  layer  of  cement  around  the  bottom 
corners.  Then  set  the  glass  down  in  it,  leaving  a  1^M  of  cement  between 
the  surface  of  the  glass  and  the  wood.  Next,  lay  the  side,  and  then 
the  end  pieces  in  the  same  way.  In  all  but  the  very  small  sizes  the 
corners  should  be  reinforced  by  filling  the  corners  with  cement  and 
then  laying  over  this  a  narrow  piece  of  glass  to  protect  the  cement 
from  the  water.  Extra  care  must  be  taken  in  pressing  the  glass  in 
position,  else  it  is  liable  to  break.  Hold  the  glass  firmly  against  the 
frame  while  the  cement  is  drying.  To  do  this  Dr.  Hodge  suggests 
the  springing  in  of  some  limber  green  twigs.  Trim  off  all  the  extra 
cement  at  the  joints.  After  the  glass  is  all  cemented  into  place, 
the  stop  pieces  should  be  fastened  to  the  top  strips.  These  pieces 
are  located  under  the  top  strip  along  the  sides,  and  are  used  to  hold 
the  glass  up  in  place.  These  stops  should  be  just  long  enough  to 
touch  the  end  pieces  of  glass,  and  the  edge  of  the  stops  should  press 
against  the  side  pieces  of  glass.  After  locating  the  position  of  the 
stops,  the  top  strips,  which  have  been  but  temporarily  fastened  on, 
can  be  taken  off,  and  the  stops  more  easily  fastened  to  them.  The 
top  strips  should  then  be  securely  fastened  in  place. 

1  C.  F.  Hodge,  Nature  Study  and  Life,  p.  399. 


AQUARIA  OR  VIVARIA  137 

If  a  cover  or  lid  is  desired,  it  can  be  hinged  along  the  edge.  The 
eight  pieces  specified  for  the  lid  are  used  to  make  the  frame  of  the  lid. 
A  piece  of  fine  mesh  wire  netting,  slightly  smaller  than  the  outside 
size  of  the  aquarium,  is  necessary;  9"  x21"  for  the  double  one,  and 
9"  x  1 1"  for  the  single  one.  This  is  fastened  between  the  two  thick- 
nesses of  the  wood,  and  the  nails  are  securely  clinched  to  hold  it. 

This  aquarium  should  be  set  away  for  a  week  or  more  so  as  to  allow 
the  cement  to  harden.  Dr.  Hodge  suggests  the  putting  on  of  one  or 
two  coats  of  copal  or  spar  varnish  around  the  seams  on  the  inside. 
No  leak  is  likely  to  occur,  but  if  it  should  occur,  dry  the  aquarium 
thoroughly,  and  apply  one  or  two  coats  of  the  copal  varnish. 

Dr.  Hodge's  directions  for  setting  up  an  aquarium  are  as  follows : 
"  First,  put  in  about  two  inches  of  sand,  washed  until  a  stream  of 
water  runs  off  clear;  then,  with  the  sand  only  moist,  set  the  plants 
about  the  corners,  making  furrows  in  the  sand  in  different  directions 
and  laying  the  roots  in  them ;  finally,  arrange  the  pebbles,  shells,  and 
larger  stones  about  the  bottom  where  they  will  keep  the  plants  in 
place.  Next,  pour  in  the  water  up  to  within  an  inch  of  the  top,  hold- 
ing the  hand  or  a  piece  of  thin  board  to  break  the  force  of  the  stream, 
and  avoid  washing  the  plants  loose.  Finally,  put  in  a  fresh  water 
clam  or  two,  some  snails,  a  few  tadpoles  (if  the  fishes  will  allow  of  it) 
to  keep  the  water  clean,  and,  after  a  day  or  two,  such  fishes  —  not 
more  than  two  or  three  —  as  it  is  desired  to  study.  Overcrowding 
is  the  common  temptation  to  be  resisted.  Allow  one  gallon  of  water 
to  each  fish  three  inches  long,  and  where  enough  water  plants  are 
present  to  oxygenate  the  aquarium,  the  fishes  will  show  by  their  actions, 
quiet  movements,  and  breathing,  that  they  are  comfortable. 

"How  often  does  the  water  require  changing?  The  answer  is: 
'  Not  once  a  year,  if  the  animals  and  plants  and  light  are  properly 
balanced  and  regulated.' 

"  Fishes  and  aquatic  animals,  in  general,  should  not  be  fed  oftener 
than  once  a  day,  and  then  only  so  much  as  will  be  eaten  clean." 

For  further  directions  consult  Dr.  Hodge's  chapter  on  "  The  Con- 
struction and  Management  of  the  Aquarium."  l 

1  C.  F.  Hodge,  Nature  Study  and  Life,  pp.  393-404. 


138 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


DOLL.  The  end-lap  joint  construction  as  suggested  by  Fig.  1  in 
the  drawing  of  the  doll  is  perhaps  the  best  for  all  round  purpose.  The 
main  advantage  it  has  is  that  it  can  be  very  quickly  constructed.  It 
can  be  made  larger  if  desired.  The  important  thing  is  to  work  out 

the  several  parts  in  proper  propor- 
tion so  as  not  to  look  grotesque, 
unless  such  is  desired.  If  so,  a  great 
deal  of  amusement  can  be  gotten 
from  them.  The  best  way  to  obtain 
the  proper  proportion  is  to  measure 
the  human  body  and  reduce  to  the 
size  desired.  Such  dolls  well  pro- 
portioned and  constructed  make  ex- 
cellent models  for  the  drawing  room. 
Fig.  2  of  the  drawing  on  page  1 1 9 
shows  a  construction  that  is  more 
difficult  than  Fig.  1  and  less  difficult 
than  Fig.  2  on  the  opposite  page. 
This  slip  joint  construction  (Fig.  2) 
is  a  good  opportunity  for  an  exer- 
cise in  tool  processes.  Good  joints 
must  be  made  if  the  dolls  are  to 
look  well  and  work  properly.  For 
suggestions  concerning  the  construc- 
tion and  assembling  of  the  parts  see 
page  118.  If  the  doll  is  to  be  fairly 
large  and  to  do  much  service,  small 
carriage  bolts  to  hold  the  parts  to- 
gether are  desirable ;  or,  if  dies  are 
available,  bolts  can  be  made  from  heavy  wire.  A  thread  can  be  cut 
at  one  end,  and  the  other  end  upset,  and  a  slotted  head  cut  with  the 
hack  saw.  This,  with  the  use  of  a  screw  driver,  will  admit  of  setting 
in  the  nut  below  the  surface  of  the  wood.  Bolts  at  the  shoulders  and 
hips  should  extend  the  full  width  of  the  doll. 

The  facial  expressions  can  be  varied.     They  can  be  painted  on  by 


DOLL 


139 


JOIMTED  DOLLS 
SCALE: 


LIFE  SIZE 


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the  boys  talented  in  this  line.  Various  costumes  with  which  to  dress 
the  dolls  can  also  be  worked  out  by  the  classes.  Mrs.  Laura  Starr's 
book  on  "Dolls"  offers  excellent  suggestions  for  correlation  with  school 
subjects  such  as  geography  and  history. 


140 


MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 


DAVENPORT  AND  CHAIR.  For  general  suggestions  on  furni- 
ture construction  see  page  xxi.  The  furniture  shown  above  is  a 
type  of  construction  usually  made.  It  should  not  be  made,  because 
it  lacks  the  necessary  bracing  and  will  therefore  go  to  pieces  quickly 
after  being  used. 

The  davenport  (Fig.  1)  is  the  same  type  of  construction  as  that 
of  the  morris  chair  on  pages  1 1 0  and  111.  The  rails  can  be  gained 
into  the  legs  as  suggested  for  the  morris  chair.  If  this  is  done,  the 
seat  will  be  |"  longer,  since  the  legs  will  be  moved  out  just  the  thick- 
ness of  the  two  side  rails.  The  drawing  herewith  shown  is  for  use 
without  the  cushion. 

If  a  cushion  is  used,  the  seat  should  be  somewhat  lower  than  the 
top  edge  of  the  rails,  so  as  to  make  a  pocket  for  the  cushion.  The  rails 
will  be  ^"  lower,  as  suggested  in  the  drawing,  so  that  the  top  of  the 
cushion  will  be  the  proper  seating  height. 

To  assemble,  first  nail  the  legs  to  the  ends  of  the  seat  with  one  brad 
in  each  leg.  Next  nail  on  the  cross  rails,  and  then  the  front  and  back 
rails.  After  it  is  carefully  squared  up,  nail  on  the  arms,  and,  lastly, 
the  back  rail  even  with  the  top  of  the  arms. 

If  a  divan  is  desired  reduce  to  about  one-half  the  length.  To 
do  so,  simply  deduct  the  same  amount  from  all  of  the  long  pieces ;  for 
instance,  if  the  seat  is  to  be  5^"  the  top  rail  should  be  7"  and  the  other 
rails  7J",  the  amount  deducted  being  5". 

Cushions  will  add  considerable  interest  to  the  problem.  For 
directions  concerning  the  making  of  the  cushions  see  the  suggestions 
given  on  pages  1 1 0  and  111. 


DAVENPORT  AND  CHAIR 


141 


DAVENPORT  -  CHAIR 

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Fig.  2  has  been  designed  for  a  hall  chair.  It  is  so  constructed  that 
the  side  rails  are  wide  enough  to  act  as  braces  in  one  direction  and 
the  back,  which  is  lowered  and  fastened  to  the  legs,  acts  as  a  brace 
in  the  other  direction. 


142  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 

PLAN  OF  HOUSE  ARRANGEMENT.  Simple  ordinary  homes 
must  be  thought  of  in  planning  for  the  house.  Various  arrange- 
ments of  the  rooms  can  be  considered ;  for  instance  the  pantry  can 
come  between  the  dining  room  and  kitchen,  with  the  bathroom  in 
the  middle  of  the  house;  or  the  boxes  can  be  turned  so  that  the 
length  of  the  front  rooms  runs  across  the  width  of  the  house,  thus 
making  the  front  of  the  house  wider  than  the  back.  Practical  con- 
veniences will  determine  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms,  such  as 
having  the  pantry  adjoining  the  kitchen  and  the  kitchen  next  to  the 
dining  room.  Not  only  must  each  room  be  a  unit  in  itself,  but  all 
the  rooms  must  be  related  so  as  to  obtain  unity  in  appearance  and 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  house.  The  one-floor  plan,  as  shown  in  the 
drawing,  has  been  found  to  be  a  very  practical  plan  for  a  study  of 
interior  arrangement  and  decoration.  Five  packing  boxes  of  similar 
size  are  used,  one  of  which  is  sawed  in  two,  one  part  being  used  for 
the  pantry  and  one  for  the  bathroom.  Simplification  of  the  problem 
necessitates  the  rooms  to  be  all  one  size  or  at  least  all  one  height. 
The  tops  of  the  boxes  are  not  used.  This  leaves  the  whole  house  open 
at  the  top  so  as  to  make  the  arrangement  of  the  furnishings  most  con- 
venient. If  desired  the  boxes  can  be  separated  enough  so  as  to  leave 
a  space  between  the  rooms  which  can  be  used  for  closets.  If  very 
little  floor  space  is  available,  put  the  living  room,  bedroom,  and  bath- 
room on  the  second  floor.  In  this  case  one  side  of  each  room  can  be 
left  open  and  access  to  the  second  floor  can  be  had  by  means  of  a  stair- 
case of  cardboard  or  thin  wood.  The  boxes  should  be  arranged  so  as 
to  obtain  good  proportions  in  length,  width,  and  height  of  the  rooms. 
If  large  boxes  only  are  available  they  may  be  divided  into  rooms  by 
the  use  of  cardboard  or  thin  wood.  A  certain  scale  should  be  deter- 
mined upon  and  then  adhered  to  in  every  detail.  The  proportioning 
of  everything  to  a  scale  affords  excellent  correlation  with  arithmetic. 

If  all  of  the  furnishing  is  to  be  of  paper  and  cardboard,  one-eighth 
size  or  1^"  to  each  foot  has  been  found  to  be  most  satisfactory. 
This  will  make  use  of  boxes  or  rooms  about  18"x27"  and  an  8" 
or  9"  doll.  One-sixth  size  or  2"  to  the  foot  is  best,  however,  if 
bristol  board  or  cardboard  is  to  be  used,  but  if  ordinary  manila  draw- 


PLAN  OF  HOUSE  ARRANGEMENT 


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ing  paper  only  is  available,  one-twelfth  size  or  1"  to  the  foot  is 
best.  In  this  case  a  6"  doll  will  be  used  and  the  rooms  will  be  about 
14"xl8".  The  drawing  has  been  planned  with  the  thought  of 
having  the  furnishings  made  of  wood  and  a  scale  of  one-sixth  has  been 


144  MANUAL  TRAINING  — PLAY  PROBLEMS 

selected  as  the  smallest  size  practical.  If  wood  is  used  for  the  furni- 
ture, a  smaller  size  than  that  specified  on  the  drawings  should  not  be 
used,  otherwise  satisfactory  results  are  not  possible.  From  an  eco- 
nomical standpoint,  it  has  been  found  that  packing  boxes  for  the 
rooms  one-eighth  size  can  be  more  readily  obtained  from  the  mer- 
chants, and  cigar  boxes  and  cereal  boxes  can  be  utilized  to  better 
advantage  in  this  size;  but  as  previously  said,  if  wood  is  to  be  the 
material  used,  the  making  of  furniture  this  one-eighth  size  is  not  prac- 
ticable from  an  educational  standpoint.  If  plenty  of  space  is  avail- 
able and  economy  in  materials  is  unnecessary,  then  a  one-fourth  size 
is  most  suitable.  If  packing  boxes  are  not  desired,  and  plenty  of 
lumber  and  a  workshop  are  available,  the  house  can  be  built  in  the 
shop.  With  advanced  pupils  actual  house  construction  to  scale  can 
be  planned  and  worked  out,  but  with  the  younger  children  this  is  not 
desirable.  One-half  inch  or  one-quarter  inch  boards  should  be  used. 
Porches  may  be  added  and  a  removable  roof  may  be  put  on. 

Where  paper  and  cardboard  have  been  used,  this  work  in  the  second 
and  third  grades  has  been  most  successful.  In  the  higher  grades  the 
work  with  these  materials  is  considered  by  the  older  children  as 
mere  doll  play,  but  when  wood  has  been  used  for  the  furniture,  the 
higher  grades,  especially  the  fifth  and  sixth,  have  regarded  such  work 
as  real,  even  though  it  is  in  miniature. 

A  school  superintendent  after  observing  this  work  said,  "I  do  not 
know  who  was  most  interested,  the  children  or  the  teacher.  When 
one  considers  the  lessons  learned  in  common-sense  application  of 
everyday  problems  in  furnishing,  one  cannot  but  be  impressed  with 
the  educational  value  of  such  work."  Much  inexpensive  material 
can  be  obtained  outside  of  school  and  much  work  done  at  home, 
such  as  table  covers  and  portieres  stenciled,  rugs  woven,  mattresses, 
pillows,  and  cushions  upholstered,  and  clothing  made  for  the  dolls. 

A  few  words  of  caution  are  necessary;  avoid  attempting  more 
work  than  can  be  satisfactorily  finished,  avoid  long  and  difficult  pro- 
cesses, else  discouragement  will  result.  Attempt  only  those  things 
that  can  be  readily  and  easily  made,  and  always  make  it  possible 
that  the  children  will  have  something  to  show  for  their  effort. 


INDEX 


Aeroplane,  100 

Animals  with  moving  parts,  78,  80,  102,  120 

Animal  traps,  26,  90 

Aquaria,  134 

Bagatel  board,  130 

Banjo,  4,  38 

Barrel  traps,  26,  90 

Bats  for  peggy  or  tip-cat,  60 

Bean-bag  games,  16 

Beds,  4,  112 

Bench,  tool,  xxiii 

Benches,  rustic,  4,  18 

Birds,  78,  102 

Bird  houses,  4,  88 

Blacksmith  boys,  54 

Boats,  vi,  vii,  xi,  4,  28,  122 

Bolts,  xix 

Bow  gun,  74 

Box,  44 

Box  traps,  26,  90 

Breeding  cages,  86,  1 34 

Bridge  boards,  68 

Butterfly,  6 

Butterfly  top,  2 

Buzzer,  10 

Cardboard  furniture,  143 

Carron  board,  64 

Case  for  mounting  insects,  1 04 

Cement,  xxi 

Chairs,  4,  18,  110,  140 

Checkers,  130 

Chess,  130 

Chicks  with  worm,  54 

Chinese  drum,  99 

Cigar  box  problems,  4 

Clickers,  96 

Climbing  jacks,  50 

Clogging  jack,  52 


Clothespin  blacksmiths,  54 

Clothespin  jack,  48 

Color  tops,  2 

Coping  saw,  xxiv 

Cradle,  4,  112 

Crokinole  board,  64 

Croquet  game  board,  64 

Cushion  for  chairs  and  bed,  110,  112 

Daggers,  56 

Dancing  jacks,  48,  52 

Darts,  76 

Davenport,  4,  18,  110,  140 

Dining-room  chairs,  4,  108,  140 

Dinkey  birds,  78 

Disc  tops,  2 

Dolls,  xx,  118,  138 

Drill,  primitive  string,  10 

Elastic  pistols,  22 
Elastic  power  boats,  28 
Elastic  sling-shot,  22 
Eccentric  running  wheels,  20,  24 

Falling  ladder,  82 

Falling  seesaw,  82 

Falling  teeter,  82 

Fencing  rods,  xxiv,  62 

Fifes,  38 

Figure-four  traps,  26 

Flying  tops,  6 

Furniture,  xxi.  4,  18.  108.  110,  112,  140,  143 

Garden  labels,  12 
Garden  signs,  12 
Garden  sticks,  1 2 
Garden  tools,  xxv,  114 
Garden  trellis,  12 
Glider,  100 
Grasshoppers,  120 
Guns.  22,  74,  99 


145 


146 


INDEX 


Happy  jack  windmills,  37 
Hockey  pucks,  72 
Hockey  shin  guards,  72 
Hockey  sticks,  72 
Hoes,  114 
House  plan,  142 
Humming  bird,  38 
Hurdle,  128 

Insect  bottle,  30 

Insect  mounting  case,  104 

Insect  nets,  30 

Jacks,  48,  50,  52.  54 
Jointed  dolls,  118.  138 
Jumping  jacks,  50 
Jumping  standard,  1 28 

Kaleidoscopes,  14 
Knives,  56 

Label,  garden,  12 
Lever  movements,  54 
Looms,  84.  132 

Manual  training  materials,  xvi 

Map  puzzles,  44 

Marble  games,  68 

Marble  rakes,  68  . 

Minnow  nets,  30 

Mounting  case  for  nature-study  work,  1 04 

Mother-hubbard  windmill,  34 

Musical  instruments,  4,  38 

Nails,  xix 

Nature-study  apparatus,  xxv,  12,  30,  86,  104,  134 

Nets,  30 

Paddle-wheel  boats,  28 

Peggies.  58 

Peggy  bats,  60 

Pendulum  movements,  78,  80 

Pistols,  22 

Plant  labels,  12 

Plant  sticks,  12 

Plant  trellis,  12' 

Plug  top,  2 

Pole  jack,  52 

Polliwog  nets,  30 


Popgun,  99 
Post-card  box,  44 
Post-card  picture  puzzles,  44 
Press  for  nature-study  work,  104 
Primitive  drill,  10 

Quoits.  94 

Rake,  garden,  114 
Rake,  marble,  68 
Rattler,  % 

Ring-toss  games,  8,  94 
Roller  coasters,  106,  126 
Roller -looms,  132 
Root  cages,  86,  134 
Roque  boards,  64 
Rowboats,  28 

Running  grasshoppers,  1 20 
Running  wheels,  20,  24 
Rustic  furniture,  18 

Sailboats,  122 

Sand-box  for  playground,  1 1 6 

Sawyer,  80 

Scissors  jack,  48 

Screws,  xx 

Seesaw  for  playground,  1 1 6 

Seesaw,  falling,  82 

Shinney  stick,  72 

Shin  guards,  72 

Shovel,  114 

Sign,  garden,  12 

Sling  shot,  22 

Snow  shovel,  115 

Solitaire,  66 

Spreader  for  insects,  1 04 

Stick,  hockey  and  shinney,  72 

Stick,  garden,  12 

Stilts,  70 

String  musical  instruments,  38 

Swaying  figures,  80 

Swings,  42 

Swiss  dinkey  bird,  78 

Swords,  56,  62 

Tables,  4,  18,  108 
Target,  74 

Teeter,  playground,  1 1 6 
Teeter,  falling,  82 


INDEX 


147 


Tip-cats,  58 
Tip-cat  bats,  60 
Tools,  xxiii 
Tops,  2 
Traps,  26,  90 
Trellis  plant,  1 2 

Ukelele,  41 

Vaulting  pole,  1 28 
Vaulting  standard,  128 
Vivaria,  86,  134 


Wagon,  124,  126 
Washstands,  4 
Weaving,  84,  132 
Wheels,  xx,  106 
Wheelbarrow.  124 
Whirligig,  6 
Whistles,  38 

Whistling  instruments,  38 
Windmills,  ix,  34 
Wrestlers,  23,  54 

Zither,  38 


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books    by   the    same    author,    and    of  kindred    interest. 


Community    Civics 


BY  JESSIE   FIELD 

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"  The  Corn  Lady" ;  and 

SCOTT  NEARING 

Professor  of  Social  Science,  Toledo  University,  author  of 
"  Income,"  "  Social  Adjustment,"  etc. 


Cloth,  ismo.     III.,  x  +  .?7O/tf£w.     $.60 


Community  Civics  is  designed  to  train  boys  and  girls  in 
citizenship.  It  aims  to  teach  them  to  see  beauty,  truth,  strength, 
and  opportunity  in  country  life ;  to  understand  the  meaning  and 
purpose  of  community  institutions  —  the  home,  schools,  libra- 
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to  work  for  the  ideals  of  country,  maximum  production,  effective 
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Community  Civics  is  a  moving  treatment  of  civic  affairs 
in  the  community  and  in  the  larger  community  of  state  and 
nation.  It  is  concerned  with  the  civic  conditions  and  social 
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The  New  Geographies 

BY   THE    LATE 

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AND 

FRANK  McMURRY 


First  Book $.65         Second  Book $1.10 


The  Tarr  and  McMurry  New  Geographies  represent  ideas  that 
make  the  teaching  of  geography  produce  results.  Distinctive  features 
are  : 

1.  The   emphasis   of   humanized   geography.     The   physiographic  and 
geological  studies  in  geography  are  made  subordinate  to  the  indus- 
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the  people. 

2.  The  basis  in  home  geography.     In  the  beginning  of  the  course  and 
throughout  the  course)  the  study  of  geography  is  constantly  related  to 
the  pupils'  own  experiences. 

3.  The  stimulus  to  self-activity.     Pupils  are  taught  how  to  study,  led  to 
think  about  human  problems,  and  encouraged  to  use  thought  rather 
than  memory  in  their  study. 

4.  The  organization  of  material.     The  material  of  instruction  is  grouped 
under  topics ;  topics  are  grouped  under  main  topics.     The  individu- 
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with  the  United  States  as  a  basis,  and  reviews. 

5.  The  use  of  the  type  method.    Wherever  it  can  be  used  to  advantage 
in  presenting  geographical  concepts,  in  developing  the  ideas  of  insti- 
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6.  The  appeal  to  the  interest  of  children.     Interest  is  gained  and  held 
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In  every  feature  The  Tarr  and  McMurry  New  Geographies  are 
in  harmony  with  the  principles  of  modern  pedagogy.  They  challenge 
comparison. 

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English  Spoken  and  Written 

BY  HENRY   P.   EMERSON 

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IDA  C.   BENDER 

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The  Health  Series  of  Physiology  and  Hygiene 

BY  M.   V.   O'SHEA 

Professor  of  Education,  University  of  Wisconsin ;   Author  of 
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The  characteristic  features  are  : 

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3.  In  these  lessons  children  are  taught  the  elementary  facts  and  principles  of 
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